Generali Investments Management Co LLC Raises Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Generali Investments Management Co LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 47.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,194 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,921 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whalerock Point Partners LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 17,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,436,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the third quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,334,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,013,000 after acquiring an additional 33,849 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% during the third quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,788 shares of the company’s stock worth $738,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Lansing Street Advisors raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2% during the third quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 4,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.3% during the third quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,749,000 after acquiring an additional 9,170 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% 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: Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage with an “outperform”/”moderate buy” and a $142 price target, highlighting analyst conviction and potential upside for MRK. Royal Bank of Canada Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced late‑breaking Phase 3 data for the doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) two‑drug HIV regimen and is in FDA review; trial results matched an established competitor (Biktarvy), supporting a potential new HIV franchise as Keytruda faces patent pressure. DOR/ISL Phase 3 Data (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Merck Animal Health received FDA approval for NUMELVI (atinvicitinib) for control of pruritus in dogs — a product approval that diversifies revenue and strengthens the veterinary business. NUMELVI FDA Approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and research pieces (Zacks, ResearchAndMarkets profile) are increasing visibility and may attract more institutional interest, but they are informational rather than immediate price catalysts. Zacks Trending Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting retirees shifting into dividend funds could help demand for large dividend-paying pharma names like MRK over time, but this is a gradual flow rather than an immediate driver. Dividend Funds Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit has cooled sharply (reported drop from bullish 63 to neutral 43), suggesting some short-term retail profit‑taking and weaker buyer interest despite the positive news flow. Reddit Sentiment Cooling

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $119.30 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.97. The company has a market capitalization of $294.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.