Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Hamilton Wealth LLC

Hamilton Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 67.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 195,102 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 78,556 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.7% of Hamilton Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Hamilton Wealth LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $23,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its position 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 last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $150 from $140 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 15% upside from the referenced price. The increase reflects continued confidence in Merck’s outlook. Barclays raises Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA met its primary progression-free-survival endpoint in a Phase 3 trial for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, outperforming platinum-based chemotherapy. Merck said the result could support future regulatory filings and strengthen its oncology pipeline. Merck KEYTRUDA endometrial cancer trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced its fourth-quarter 2026 dividend, reinforcing the stock’s appeal to income-oriented investors and signaling continued capital-return support. The provided announcement did not include the dividend amount or payment details. Merck fourth-quarter dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Buy rating, while broader brokerage coverage places Merck at a “Moderate Buy” consensus, indicating generally favorable but not universally bullish sentiment. Wells Fargo maintains Merck Buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect Merck’s second-quarter earnings to decline, and a Zacks preview says the company lacks the typical signals associated with a likely earnings beat. This raises near-term execution risk ahead of the earnings report. Merck second-quarter earnings preview

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $130.45 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.24. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.53 and a 12-month high of $135.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $322.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.50.

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.