NewEdge Advisors LLC Purchases 17,134 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 413,565 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,134 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $49,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $519,000. First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $12,535,000. Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth about $610,000. Allen Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% in the first quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 10,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $868,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MRK. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.56.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $128.27 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $123.78 and its 200 day moving average is $119.04. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $135.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $316.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.62, a PEG ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increase: Guggenheim raised its Merck price target from $145 to $146 and maintained a Buy rating, implying meaningful upside from the referenced share price. This reinforces positive Wall Street sentiment. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda gains another approval: Health Canada approved Keytruda with enfortumab vedotin for certain cisplatin-ineligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, expanding the drug’s use and potentially supporting sales before its major patent expirations. Health Canada approves Keytruda treatment
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and post-Keytruda strategy: Merck’s second-quarter commentary highlighted new product launches, pipeline progress and efforts to diversify into areas including vaccines, infectious diseases, hematology, cardiopulmonary disease and obesity. The company also raised its 2026 sales outlook, improving confidence in near-term execution. MRK Q2 earnings call
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend comparison: Merck’s latest results have renewed debate over whether it offers a better income opportunity than Pfizer. The discussion may attract dividend-focused investors, but it does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. Pfizer or Merck dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda patent risk remains central: Keytruda is approaching a significant patent cliff beginning in 2028. Merck is accelerating acquisitions and partnerships to offset the eventual revenue decline, but those investments can pressure earnings and increase execution risk. Merck is racing beyond Keytruda
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed pipeline development: Merck discontinued tulisokibart development in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease, although the drug continues to be evaluated in other indications. The setback highlights clinical-development risk as Merck builds its post-Keytruda portfolio. MSD anti-TL1A trial update

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.