11,515 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Purchased by Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida

Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 11,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,673,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 0.9% of Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Baring Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $219,000. Bath Savings Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co now owns 7,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank now owns 8,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 196.6% in the third quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC now owns 12,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,778,000 after acquiring an additional 8,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% in the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 25,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,742,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:MRK traded up $0.72 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $142.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,349,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,674,509. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $351.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The business’s 50-day moving average is $143.10 and its 200-day moving average is $127.76.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating on Merck while trimming its price target from $179 to $177, still implying substantial upside. The rating reflects confidence in Keytruda, Merck’s broader product portfolio and its longer-term outlook. Morgan Stanley price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary argues that Merck’s pullback over the past month may represent a buying opportunity. Keytruda remains the primary growth driver, while newer products and pipeline assets could help support growth after 2028. Merck stock valuation and outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Sell-side analysts collectively rate Merck & Co. (MRK) a “moderate buy,” indicating generally favorable sentiment but not unanimous conviction. Merck analyst rating
• Negative Sentiment: A Dutch court ruled for Halozyme Therapeutics in a patent dispute, barring Merck from selling subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European markets. The injunction threatens the rollout of a potentially more convenient version of Merck’s largest drug and could delay related revenue opportunities in Europe. Merck injectable Keytruda European injunction

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Daiwa Securities Group raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.80.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.