Tema Etfs LLC Boosts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Tema Etfs LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 40.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 110,620 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 31,887 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.9% of Tema Etfs LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Tema Etfs LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.7% during the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 35,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 5,049 shares in the last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, River Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.9% during the 2nd quarter. River Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 66,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,226,000 after purchasing an additional 11,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $121.06 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $299.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $117.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.68. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Completed acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ chromatography business broadens Merck’s downstream purification portfolio with next?generation Protein A chromatography, improving its biomanufacturing offering and positioning it to capture more upstream/downstream spend from biologics manufacturers. Merck Completes Acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ Chromatography Business
• Positive Sentiment: New R&D collaboration with Infinimmune could deliver up to ~$838M in milestones to Merck as it funds discovery of immune cell?directed antibodies — expands early?stage pipeline and de?risks future biologics launches. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s recent acquisitions and the Terns buy (noted in coverage) signal management’s push to bolster oncology revenue streams — a strategic move that supports longer?term growth and margin expansion. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada issued an Outperform rating on MRK, which can draw buying interest from institutional investors and supports the stock’s momentum. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Latest quarterly results showed an EPS beat and raised FY?2026 EPS guidance (5.000–5.150), supporting the view that core operations and margins remain healthy. Merck & Co., Inc. Stock/Results Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlighting Merck as an “affordable” dividend/defensive stock and inclusion in lists of defensive names may increase retail interest but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Why is Merck & Co. (MRK) One of the Best Affordable Stocks to Buy With Good Earnings Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting an expanded collaboration between Tempus AI and Merck highlights partnerships in data/AI, but the near?term revenue impact for Merck is unclear. Assessing Tempus AI (TEM) Valuation After ALERT Cardiology Trial Results And Expanded Merck Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market pieces (Barclays’ defensive picks, Blackstone fund closing) provide context for investor flows into healthcare but do not directly change Merck’s fundamentals. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Short?term price churn has appeared in recent sessions (some intraday dips and lagging vs. the broader market on certain days), reflecting market volatility and rotation risk that could cap near?term upside. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.

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.