Midwest Trust Co Buys 24,910 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Midwest Trust Co boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 759,124 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,910 shares during the period. Midwest Trust Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $63,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bull research argues the recent run doesn’t make MRK overvalued and highlights durable upside from Keytruda, QLEX migration and pipeline execution. Merck: The Spike Doesn’t Make It Overvalued
• Positive Sentiment: Another bullish note rates MRK a Buy for 2026, citing extended Keytruda exclusivity to late‑2029 and “hidden alpha” from QLEX migration and BD/pipeline execution. Merck: A Buy For 2026, But The Clock Is Still Ticking
• Positive Sentiment: Some financial media also flagged an analyst upgrade that briefly lifted the share price and coverage noting Merck’s positioning for long‑term revenue growth. Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Price Up 1.8% After Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term dividend/quality screens and bull‑case articles continue to present MRK as a multi‑year recovery story, which supports longer‑horizon holders but may not offset short‑term selling. 3 Top Dow Jones Dividend Stocks to Buy for Passive Income in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.5M) at ≈$119.15, cutting her ownership by ~64% — a large, conspicuous insider sale that often triggers investor concern. Form 4 — Jennifer Zachary
• Negative Sentiment: CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares (~$1.18M) at ≈$118.41, reducing their stake ~12.4%. Form 4 — Chirfi Guindo
• Negative Sentiment: Additional recent insider sales reported (CFO and other executives sold multi‑million dollar amounts), amplifying the negative signal from leadership selling. CFO Sells $5,023,261.17 EVP Sells $4,556,870.20
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street Zen and at least one Seeking Alpha piece issued more cautious or downgraded takes, adding pressure for traders who focus on near‑term catalysts. From Bargain To Balancing Act: Merck’s Next Test Begins Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $120.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $117.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $122.66. The stock has a market cap of $292.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $106.89 and a 200-day moving average of $93.53.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. This trade represents a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.