Representative Josh Gottheimer (Democratic-New Jersey) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on March 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on February 4th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORGAN STANLEY – SELECT UMA ACCOUNT # 1” account.
Representative Josh Gottheimer also recently made the following trade(s):
- Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) on 2/27/2026.
- Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Infineon Technologies (OTCMKTS:IFNNY) on 2/27/2026.
- Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Federal Signal (NYSE:FSS) on 2/26/2026.
- Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU) on 2/20/2026.
- Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Visa (NYSE:V) on 2/18/2026.
- Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) on 2/18/2026.
- Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) on 2/5/2026.
- Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cummins (NYSE:CMI) on 2/5/2026.
- Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 2/5/2026.
- Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) on 2/4/2026.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.5%
Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $2.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $119.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,215,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,300,868. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $295.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.32.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Key Merck & Co., Inc. News
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck agreed to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals for $53.00 per share (~$6.7B) to add TERN-701, an allosteric BCR::ABL1 candidate for chronic myeloid leukemia — seen as a strategic, near-term pipeline boost ahead of Keytruda patent risk. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals press release
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight TERN-701’s disruptive potential in CML; some firms say the deal strengthens Merck’s long-term oncology franchise and could be accretive if the asset delivers. Health Care Roundup: Market Talk
- Positive Sentiment: Broker action: Citi recently raised its price target on MRK to $125 (from $120), signaling continued analyst support amid the M&A and pipeline moves. Citi Raises its Price Target on Merck
- Positive Sentiment: Market backdrop helped equities broadly: risk-on sentiment (hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East) and lower oil prices supported healthcare stocks, including MRK. Equities Rise, Oil Dips as Traders Weigh Prospects of Iran War Ceasefire
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck announced a multi?year collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics on IBD target discovery (potential upside, but long?term and milestone?driven). Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck hosted/announced investor and M&A calls to discuss the transaction and strategy — useful for details but not an immediate catalyst beyond confirmation of deal terms. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) M&A Call Transcript
- Negative Sentiment: Deal risks: reporting notes potential for a bidding contest or activist interest — that could raise acquisition cost or create execution risk; investors may watch for how Merck finances / integrates the asset. Why Merck Might Have A Fight On Its Hands With Its $6.7 Billion Takeover Of Terns
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
About Representative Gottheimer
Josh Gottheimer (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2017. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Gottheimer (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Gottheimer is also running for election for Governor of New Jersey. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 10, 2025.
Gottheimer attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree. He became a Thouron Fellow at Oxford and attended Harvard Law School. Gottheimer worked as a speech writer under former President Bill Clinton (D), assisting with two State of the Union addresses, among other projects. Before running for Congress, he worked for Microsoft as a general manager for corporate strategy.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.
Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.
Further Reading
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