Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Buys Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Posted by Andrew Walz on Sep 11th, 2026

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican-Florida) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on September 09th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on August 19th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “UBS IRA ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar also recently made the following trade(s):

Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) on 8/24/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Chubb (NYSE:CB) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 8/12/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) on 8/12/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 8/7/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 7/28/2026.
Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 7/28/2026.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.69 during trading on Friday, reaching $144.02. 8,677,875 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,649,869. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.33 billion, a PE ratio of 115.22, a P/E/G ratio of 6.30 and a beta of 0.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.32.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

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

In other news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target for Merck (MRK) from $150 to $172 and maintained a “Buy” rating, implying substantial upside from the recent share price. Benzinga analyst update
Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim also increased its Merck price target to $170, reinforcing the view that the company’s pipeline, newer medicines and potential cancer-drug combinations can support growth beyond Keytruda. Guggenheim increases Merck price target
Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its development pipeline and commercial portfolio to reduce reliance on Keytruda ahead of its 2028 patent and exclusivity challenges. This provides a longer-term growth narrative, although execution and successful launches remain important. Merck pipeline and new drugs
Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s stock attracted significant investor attention, but the coverage offers limited new fundamental information. Separately, broader pharmaceutical discussion highlighted manufacturing hurdles for personalized cancer vaccines and risks surrounding confidential industry information. Merck and cancer-vaccine risks
Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Merck’s valuation looks demanding relative to its growth rate and to faster-growing peers such as Eli Lilly. Those concerns, combined with the future Keytruda revenue gap, likely contributed to the recent weakness despite higher analyst targets. Merck valuation versus Eli Lilly

About Representative Salazar

Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2021. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Salazar (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Maria Elvira Salazar was born in Miami, Florida, and lives in Coral Gables, Florida. Salazar earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami in 1983 and a graduate degree from Harvard University in 1995. Her career experience includes working as a television journalist, reporter, and news anchor.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.