Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Acquired by Partners Wealth Management LLC

Partners Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 176.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,506 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,427 shares during the quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake 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 worth $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.3%

MRK stock opened at $149.75 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $146.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.38, a PEG ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.01 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.58 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.80 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.