SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Buys 11,454 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 46.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,988 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,454 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after buying an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,991,000 after buying an additional 6,082 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after buying an additional 18,187 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after acquiring an additional 7,458 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after acquiring an additional 13,940 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition materially bolsters Merck’s cancer pipeline by adding TERN?701 (an allosteric BCR::ABL1 inhibitor for chronic myeloid leukemia), giving Merck a near?term hematology asset to offset later Keytruda patent pressure. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals
• Positive Sentiment: Street support and incremental analyst attention: Citi recently raised its MRK price target to $125 (reflecting ongoing confidence in Merck’s pipeline / M&A strategy). This helps sentiment around MRK as management invests to offset future revenue pressures. Citi Raises Price Target on Merck
• Positive Sentiment: Separate R&D deal (Quotient collaboration) signals broader pipeline investment beyond oncology, diversifying Merck’s mid?to?longer term growth prospects. Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck held an M&A investor call and provided standard deal commentary (terms, strategic rationale, and integration plans); watch call details for guidance on synergies, timing and financing. Merck M&A Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market moves (equities up, oil down) are supporting risk?on flows today; this is a background driver but not specific to MRK fundamentals. Equities Rise, Oil Dips
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts (e.g., William Blair) and market commentary say the $53/share offer may underprice Terns given TERN?701’s promise; they expect potential competing bidders — a bidding war or a higher takeout price would raise Merck’s acquisition cost. Health Care Roundup: Market Talk
• Negative Sentiment: A shareholder law?firm investor alert is probing whether the $53/share price and sale process are adequate; litigation or regulatory scrutiny could delay closing or increase deal costs. Terns Investor Alert: KSF Investigates Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage notes Merck’s urgency to replace revenue lost when Keytruda faces patent expiry; executing expensive M&A quickly increases integration and pipeline risk if assets don’t meet expectations. Merck Boosts Cancer Portfolio with Terns Buyout

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $119.33 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $116.27 and its 200 day moving average is $101.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $295.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

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.