Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys 141,457 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,727,562 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 141,457 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $221,992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were 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. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

MRK opened at $152.43 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $154.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 121.94, a P/E/G ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported that their personalized cancer therapy met key Phase 3 goals, improving recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival for high-risk melanoma patients when added to Keytruda. The result is the first major late-stage win for an mRNA cancer vaccine and strengthens the potential for regulatory approval and broader oncology applications. MRK/MRNA’s Personalized Cancer Therapy Delivers First Phase III Win
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their outlooks for MRK: Goldman Sachs increased its price target to $160 and kept a Buy rating, while BMO raised its target to $170 and UBS lifted its target to $175. Morgan Stanley also upgraded the shares to Overweight with a $179 target after the cancer-trial success.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see Merck’s newer products, acquired assets and pipeline programs as a potential growth cushion against Keytruda’s eventual patent expiration. The company’s expanding portfolio could help diversify revenue beyond its flagship drug. Can Merck’s New Drugs Offer Growth Cushion Ahead of Keytruda LOE?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened investor interest and potential volatility, but it does not by itself establish the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets downgraded Merck to Sector Perform and set a $150 target, arguing that execution risks and the 2028 Keytruda loss of exclusivity are being underestimated. RBC said near-term catalysts are attractive, but the stock’s valuation leaves limited room for additional gains. Merck upgraded at Morgan Stanley after cancer trial win; RBC downgrades
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies separately moved Merck from Strong Buy to Hold. The central concern is that the shares have already rallied substantially on the trial news, making the current valuation appear demanding relative to the remaining patent and execution risks.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.10.

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.