TIAA Trust National Association Has $29.33 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

TIAA Trust National Association boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 88.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,658 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 130,701 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $29,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $119.54 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $295.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.85. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MRK. 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 research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Gilead reported positive Phase 3 results for their once-weekly HIV regimen islatravir/lenacapavir, meeting the primary efficacy endpoint in both studies and moving the program closer to regulatory filings. Article: Gilead and Merck Announce Positive Topline Results From Two Phase 3 Studies Evaluating Islatravir/Lenacapavir, an Oral Once-Weekly HIV Treatment
• Positive Sentiment: The HIV data could strengthen Merck’s long-term pipeline and add a potential new growth driver if the once-weekly treatment wins approval and commercialization proceeds as expected. Article: Gilead, Merck Report Positive Phase III HIV Study Data, End NSCLC Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also presented at the Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference, which typically reinforces management’s strategy and pipeline commentary but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article: Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with The Hashgraph Group on an EU digital product passport for regulated supply chains is strategically interesting, but it is unlikely to have a near-term material impact on earnings. Article: The Hashgraph Group and Merck Introduce EU Digital Product Passport on Hedera for Regulated Supply Chains
• Negative Sentiment: Merck and Gilead discontinued a Phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer study after it failed to show a statistically significant benefit, which removes one potential oncology catalyst and highlights clinical risk in the pipeline. Article: Merck and Gilead Provide Update on Phase 3 KEYNOTE-D46/EVOKE-03 Study
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters also reported Merck is exploring treatment options for a rare Ebola strain, which may reflect additional research effort but could carry uncertainty around development timing and commercial value. Article: Merck (MRK) Explores Treatment Options for Rare Ebola Strain, Reuters Reports

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.