Retirement Systems of Alabama Trims Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 528,014 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,808 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $55,579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 27.0% during the 2nd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 231,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,333,000 after buying an additional 49,210 shares during the last quarter. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $6,192,000. Finally, Trustmark Bank Trust Department raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 13,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $117.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.29. The firm has a market cap of $291.71 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Late?stage cholesterol pill delivered large LDL cuts (?64.6%) and met its head?to?head primary endpoint — a potential new blockbuster oral option for lowering “bad” cholesterol that could materially diversify revenue beyond oncology. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 2 CADENCE results for WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk) showed proof?of?concept in combined post? and precapillary pulmonary hypertension with HFpEF — opens a foothold in a hard heart?failure segment and supports pipeline value. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” and a $142 price target — a sizable upside vs. current levels that can support investor confidence and buying interest. Benzinga coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and media attention (e.g., Jim Cramer’s “stay the course” call) has driven momentum into Merck stock over recent months; that attention can amplify swings but is not a fundamental catalyst. Merck (MRK) Shares Up Significantly Since Jim Cramer Advised to “Stay the Course”
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports list Merck as a major player in the growing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma market — underscores long?term TAM but not an immediate stock driver. Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) Market Rises to $8.33 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: New FY2026 earnings estimates and coverage updates are circulating (Erste Group Bank note) — watch revisions for guidance confirmation versus management’s FY2026 EPS range. FY2026 Earnings Estimate for MRK Issued By Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis flags an upcoming Keytruda patent cliff and Merck’s aggressive M&A push to refill the revenue gap — a strategic risk that could pressure sentiment if deal execution or integration falls short. Merck: Aggressive M&A Efforts To Prepare For A Keytruda Patent Cliff

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRK. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.