Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC Has $1.43 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 24.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,028 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,500 shares during the period. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. DLD Asset Management LP bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,139,901,000 after buying an additional 5,135,748 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,540,145,000 after buying an additional 5,094,088 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $121.92 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.15. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $122.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $302.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, VP Dean Y. Li sold 15,087 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.77, for a total value of $1,791,882.99. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 102,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,146,607.90. This trade represents a 12.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 188,603 shares of company stock worth $22,612,212. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Citigroup boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.53.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates (EPS and revenue) and management set FY?2026 EPS guidance of $5.00–$5.15 while citing growth drivers such as Keytruda, Animal Health and new drug launches — a near-term earnings beat that supports upside. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target from $122 to $140 and kept a Buy rating, giving analysts’ support to the rally and indicating ~15% further upside from recent levels. Guggenheim PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Other broker notes are bullish — Citigroup and Scotiabank published favorable outlooks/target increases highlighting execution and price appreciation potential. Citigroup Forecast Scotiabank Lift
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flags a “subdued” 2026 outlook driven by acquisition-related charges, which mutes the beat; but it still points to Keytruda, Animal Health and new launches as the primary growth levers — a mixed read on near-term margin/earnings progression. Zacks Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Robert M. Davis sold ~47,434 shares, CFO Caroline Litchfield ~41,997 shares, EVP Richard Deluca ~37,685 shares, CMO Chirfi Guindo ~20,000 and multiple other senior executives also trimmed positions — large, coordinated filings that may weigh on sentiment despite corporate explanations (e.g., diversification or tax/planned sales). SEC filings: CEO Form 4 CFO Form 4 EVP Form 4

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.