Shrier Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 22,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,329,000.
Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck struck an R&D collaboration with Infinimmune to discover multiple human antibodies, a deal worth up to about $838 million in milestones — expands discovery engine with low upfront risk and broadens immunology/oncology pipeline. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
- Positive Sentiment: Late?stage results: Merck reported an oral cholesterol drug reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol by ~64.6% in a Phase 3 trial — a potential next blockbuster and revenue driver if approved. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
- Positive Sentiment: Clinical pipeline wins beyond cholesterol: coverage of WINREVAIR Phase 2 success in a tough heart?failure segment highlights additional mid?stage upside and may support expectations for future label expansions. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142 price target, signaling analyst confidence in upside and reinforcing buy interest. Benzinga
- Positive Sentiment: M&A and portfolio building: Merck’s earlier ~$6.7B Terns acquisition and other strategic bets strengthen the oncology/precision?medicine growth story and support longer?term revenue visibility. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro positioning: Barclays listed Merck among defensive stocks to consider amid market volatility — may attract safe?haven flows but is a structural view rather than an immediate catalyst. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
- Neutral Sentiment: Sector fund flows: Blackstone closed a record $6.3B life?sciences fund, positive for biotech/medtech deal activity broadly but not an immediate company?specific driver. Blackstone closes largest ever private funding investment round at $6.3bn
- Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness and recent pullbacks: Merck shares dipped with the broader market correction recently, creating near?term volatility and profit?taking risk despite company?specific positives. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.8%
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
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.
See Also
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