6,402 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Acquired by Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC

Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $878,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.9% of Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,931,000 after purchasing an additional 51,393 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $794,577,000 after purchasing an additional 402,011 shares during the last quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $995,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% during the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,255,000 after buying an additional 567,249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $142.45. The company had a trading volume of 8,404,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,662,183. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $143.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.96. The firm has a market cap of $351.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 113.96, a P/E/G ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved the combination of Merck’s WELIREG and LENVIMA for adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma previously treated with PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. The approval expands Merck’s oncology portfolio and could create additional revenue opportunities. Merck also started a first-in-human Phase I trial using Cyprumed’s oral peptide-delivery platform, adding a new pipeline initiative. Merck Wins FDA Approval for WELIREG Plus LENVIMA in Kidney Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating and a $177 price target despite trimming its target from $179, implying substantial potential upside based on the referenced price. Cantor Fitzgerald also raised its target to $145, although it retained a neutral rating. Analyst Price Target Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Value-focused coverage comparing Merck with Innoviva highlights the investment trade-off between Merck’s scale and established products and concerns about valuation and future growth. INVA vs. MRK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: A Dutch court issued an injunction blocking Merck from selling subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European markets following Halozyme’s patent dispute. The ruling could delay or restrict commercialization of the newer formulation and increases legal and competitive risk around Merck’s most important product. Merck’s Keytruda Is Dealt a Legal Setback
• Negative Sentiment: Industry coverage identifies Merck as particularly exposed to near-term generic competition as major patents expire. That patent-cliff risk may weigh on longer-term growth expectations, especially given Keytruda’s importance to the company. Pharma’s $500B Patent Problem Will Come in Waves

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.