Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Sold by Pinnacle Associates Ltd.

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 481,066 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,709 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.8% of Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $69,904,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $148.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.22 and a 200 day moving average of $129.67. The company has a market cap of $365.62 billion, a PE ratio of 118.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s newer cancer treatments and encouraging Phase 3 melanoma results may help broaden its oncology franchise and reduce reliance on Keytruda. Investors are assessing whether these products can become meaningful growth drivers before Keytruda faces patent-related competition. How Investors Are Reacting To Merck Phase 3 Melanoma Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s diversified drug portfolio, research investments and dividend—approximately a 2.4% yield—provide support for investors seeking income while waiting for newer therapies to offset future Keytruda pressure. Merck also previously raised its 2026 sales outlook. Merck’s 2.4% Dividend Yield
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Silence Therapeutics for approximately $1.3 billion in cash, including $20 per American depositary share. The deal could strengthen the German company’s pipeline, but Merck KGaA is a separate company from U.S.-listed Merck & Co. (MRK), so the transaction does not directly affect MRK’s earnings or stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda’s concentration creates a significant patent-cliff risk. New treatments must scale rapidly enough to replace a large portion of sales and profits when competition arrives, adding uncertainty to Merck’s valuation and long-term growth outlook. Merck Has New Cancer Treatments
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MRK, indicating some short-term institutional or systematic selling pressure despite the company’s underlying growth initiatives. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Merck

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.