Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 118,054 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,076 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $16,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,130.3% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,068,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,806,000 after acquiring an additional 2,051,475 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,959,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake 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 valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1%

MRK stock opened at $149.98 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $146.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.98, a PEG ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given 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 payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev as perioperative treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expanded indication strengthens Merck’s oncology portfolio, supports additional long-term revenue opportunities and reinforces the commercial value of the two-drug combination. European Commission KEYTRUDA and Padcev approval
• Positive Sentiment: The latest trading session saw Merck outperform the broader market, reflecting investor interest in its strong oncology franchise and recent product catalysts. Merck outperforms the stock market
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s participation in the growing bioconjugation and cell-culture-media markets provides potential exposure to expanding biopharmaceutical research demand, but the reports offer no specific financial impact or new company guidance. Bioconjugation market report Cell culture media market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Merck’s phase 3 melanoma results and ETF selling could influence sentiment, but the available information does not provide enough detail to assess the magnitude or durability of either development. Merck phase 3 melanoma results
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Merck from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding selling pressure and highlighting valuation or growth concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX remain Merck’s primary earnings engine, while U.S. growth is expected to moderate as the drug approaches peak penetration. The looming patent cliff and a legal setback affecting subcutaneous KEYTRUDA sales in several European markets increase concerns about Merck’s ability to replace future lost revenue with newer treatments. Merck KEYTRUDA growth and patent cliff analysis

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.