RFG Advisory LLC Sells 5,172 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

RFG Advisory LLC cut its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,666 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,172 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.32.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: HSBC lifted its target from $150 to $172 and maintained a “buy” rating, while Guggenheim raised its target to $170. Leerink Partners also increased its target from $127 to $161 and assigned an “outperform” rating. These revisions indicate continued confidence in Merck’s earnings potential and pipeline. Guggenheim Increases Merck Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline strategy may help address Keytruda risks: Merck is pairing antibody-drug conjugates with Keytruda in women’s cancer treatments, an effort to expand its oncology franchise and offset the eventual impact of Keytruda’s patent cliff. Merck Pairs ADCs With Keytruda
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are reassessing Merck’s valuation: A comparison with Eli Lilly highlights that Merck is trading at a higher valuation despite its slower expected growth, prompting questions about whether its pipeline, cash generation and defensive characteristics justify the premium. Merck Stock Versus Eli Lilly
• Neutral Sentiment: Market attention remains elevated: Merck was among the stocks most watched by Zacks users, suggesting strong investor interest but not necessarily a change in fundamentals. Merck Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Shares declined with the broader market and underperformed during the session: The trading update provided no new company-specific catalyst, leaving valuation concerns and the Keytruda patent-cliff debate as the primary pressures on the stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.9%

MRK stock opened at $144.68 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The stock has a market cap of $356.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.75, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck’s pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.