SteelPeak Wealth LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 29.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 190,521 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 43,834 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abound Wealth Management lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: EU approval expands KEYTRUDA use to PD?L1 positive, platinum?resistant ovarian cancer — opens a new commercial indication in Europe for an established franchise, which can drive incremental revenue and utilization in a high?unmet?need setting. Merck Broadens Cancer And Eye Disease Pipeline As Investors Weigh Future Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial of MK?8748 (Tiespectus) for wet AMD — a promising ophthalmology program that, if successful, adds a non?oncology growth vector and diversifies long?term revenue streams. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial Evaluating MK-8748 (Tiespectus)
• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 CORALreef results for oral PCSK9 inhibitor (enlicitide decanoate) — if approved, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in cardiovascular prevention and complement existing lipid therapies. Merck (MRK) Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data for WINREVAIR released — adds evidence to a respiratory program that management can highlight to investors as part of a broader R&D pipeline story. Merck & Co. (MRK) Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA acquisition of JSR chromatography business noted in the press — this concerns Merck KGaA (a different company) and is unlikely to meaningfully affect Merck & Co.’s (MRK) near?term fundamentals. Merck KGaA acquires JSR chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: New proposal from former President Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on imported medicines (with carve?outs) increases regulatory and pricing uncertainty for the sector; even with exemptions, the proposal raises near?term headline risk and could pressure sentiment toward large pharma names like MRK until policy clarity emerges. Trump Unveils Up to 100% Tariffs on Imported Medicines With Key Exemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Sector policy debate over drug?pricing deals continues (Lilly warns against locking pricing deals into law) — ongoing political scrutiny increases the chance of policy actions that could cap pricing or change reimbursement, a headwind for long?term margin visibility. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK stock opened at $120.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.08. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $298.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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 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 disclosed 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. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.