Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 15.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,680 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.7% of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $125.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $309.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.19. The business’s 50 day moving average is $118.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.23. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $130.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s KEYTRUDA franchise got a boost from recent U.S. and EU approvals in breast and bladder cancer, expanding its use in hard-to-treat tumors and strengthening the company’s oncology growth story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also reached a new access agreement for its HIV treatment, IDVYNSO, which could modestly improve market access and commercial momentum for the product. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive on Merck, including recent price-target increases from RBC and Wells Fargo, reflecting confidence in the company’s pipeline and KEYTRUDA-driven earnings power. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck has been attracting elevated investor attention, but the related coverage is more about monitoring the stock’s setup than a new business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market report on Southeast Asia oncology drug access listed Merck among peer companies, highlighting the broader opportunity for cancer therapy access but not pointing to a company-specific development. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $113 and kept an equal-weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside from current levels and reinforcing valuation caution. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.72.

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.