Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 711,119 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,207 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $75,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.
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
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Read Our Latest Stock Report on MRK
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $120.26 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $117.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $297.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 46.70%.
Merck & Co., Inc. 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.
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