Whalen Wealth Management Inc. Invests $782,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $782,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 720,658 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,047,000 after buying an additional 12,810 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $120.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $298.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: EU approval expands KEYTRUDA use to PD‑L1 positive, platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer — opens a new commercial indication in Europe for an established franchise, which can drive incremental revenue and utilization in a high‑unmet‑need setting. Merck Broadens Cancer And Eye Disease Pipeline As Investors Weigh Future Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial of MK‑8748 (Tiespectus) for wet AMD — a promising ophthalmology program that, if successful, adds a non‑oncology growth vector and diversifies long‑term revenue streams. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial Evaluating MK-8748 (Tiespectus)
• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 CORALreef results for oral PCSK9 inhibitor (enlicitide decanoate) — if approved, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in cardiovascular prevention and complement existing lipid therapies. Merck (MRK) Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data for WINREVAIR released — adds evidence to a respiratory program that management can highlight to investors as part of a broader R&D pipeline story. Merck & Co. (MRK) Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA acquisition of JSR chromatography business noted in the press — this concerns Merck KGaA (a different company) and is unlikely to meaningfully affect Merck & Co.’s (MRK) near‑term fundamentals. Merck KGaA acquires JSR chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: New proposal from former President Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on imported medicines (with carve‑outs) increases regulatory and pricing uncertainty for the sector; even with exemptions, the proposal raises near‑term headline risk and could pressure sentiment toward large pharma names like MRK until policy clarity emerges. Trump Unveils Up to 100% Tariffs on Imported Medicines With Key Exemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Sector policy debate over drug‑pricing deals continues (Lilly warns against locking pricing deals into law) — ongoing political scrutiny increases the chance of policy actions that could cap pricing or change reimbursement, a headwind for long‑term margin visibility. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

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

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.