Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by HB Wealth Management LLC

HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 226,890 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 30,115 shares during the quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $19,043,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the third quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 3,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Investors Research Corp lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 9,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $783,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the third quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 14,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Nicolet Bankshares Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the second quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. now owns 6,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK from $105 to $130 and reiterated a “buy” rating — the new target implies roughly a 20% upside from the referenced price, supporting near?term upside and analyst momentum. Analyst roundup
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated the Phase 3 KANDLELIT?007 trial evaluating calderasib (MK?1084) in combination with KEYTRUDA for first?line KRAS G12C?mutant advanced NSCLC — a successful late?stage program could materially expand oncology revenue over the medium term. KANDLELIT-007 trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck will complete the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics — expands antifungal and immunology capabilities and could add near?term revenue/technology synergies. Acquisition close reduces execution uncertainty if integration proceeds smoothly. Cidara acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target from $95 to $110 but kept a “neutral” rating — modest upside implied and less bullish than UBS, so mixed signal from the sell side. Benzinga (Citigroup note)
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga published a summary roundup of 10 analysts’ views on Merck — useful for gauging consensus but contains mixed opinions on valuation and growth drivers. Analyst roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck scheduled its Q4 and full?year 2025 sales & earnings conference call for Feb. 3 — investors will watch guidance and Keytruda/cancer pipeline commentary for near?term volatility. Earnings call
• Neutral Sentiment: Vaxxas named former Merck Global Vaccines president David Peacock as CEO — a sector talent move that signals commercialization activity in vaccine delivery tech but is not a direct driver for MRK. Vaxxas hire
• Neutral Sentiment: PR recognition: Dr. Rasha Kelej of the Merck Foundation was named among the “100 Most Influential Africans” — positive reputation/CSR signal but limited market impact. Merck Foundation recognition
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. reduced the childhood vaccine schedule to 11 core shots — analysts note this could weigh on vaccine volumes for manufacturers like Merck and GSK, introducing downside risk to vaccine revenue estimates. Vaccine schedule cut

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $108.52 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $98.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.62. The firm has a market cap of $269.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $111.46.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

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.