Richard Deluca Sells 11,699 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK traded up $2.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $133.10. The stock had a trading volume of 9,894,503 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,707,019. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $135.05. The company has a market cap of $328.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 106.48, a P/E/G ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $119.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm 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 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MRK. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Argus lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa upgraded Merck to “outperform” and set a $143 price target, implying additional upside from recent trading levels. Finviz analyst upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target to $145 and reiterated a “buy” rating, adding to the positive analyst momentum around MRK. Benzinga analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group increased its FY2026 earnings estimate to $2.75 per share from $2.70, bringing its forecast close to the $2.76 consensus estimate. MarketBeat earnings estimate
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA and EMA accepted applications to expand ENFLONSIA for RSV prevention in additional high-risk young children. The regulatory milestone could broaden Merck’s growth opportunities beyond oncology and help diversify its portfolio as Keytruda faces future patent challenges. Merck ENFLONSIA regulatory news
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s latest results included $16.61 billion in revenue, above analyst expectations, with oncology and animal health contributing to performance. The company also continues to attract institutional ownership, which exceeds 76%. Merck earnings call transcript

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.