Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 10.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,269,316 shares of the company’s stock after selling 702,485 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $754,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $126.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $311.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.52, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50 day moving average is $118.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $130.29.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its outperform rating on Merck and set a $142 price target, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on RBC rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Merck to $150 and kept an overweight rating, adding to the bullish analyst tone around the stock. Benzinga report on Wells Fargo price target
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s recent KEYTRUDA approvals in breast and bladder cancer broaden the drug’s use in difficult-to-treat cancers and strengthen the company’s oncology franchise ahead of future exclusivity losses. Article on KEYTRUDA approvals
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also reached a new access agreement for its HIV treatment IDVYNSO, improving commercial access and adding another supportive development for the valuation story. Article on HIV access deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck is trading above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which technically supports the stock, but the broader picture still includes patent expiry and vaccine-related concerns. Zacks technical analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate research roundup highlighted Merck alongside other large-cap names, but did not introduce a new company-specific catalyst. Top Research Reports article
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary noted Merck’s recent pullback and continuing investor focus on its post-Keytruda exclusivity outlook, which remains the main long-term risk to the stock. Article on valuation narrative

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.11.

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.