Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Sells 4,142 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 45,379 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,142 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Round Rock Advisors LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,118,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $140.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $346.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.29, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $146.69 and its 200 day moving average is $125.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. 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 partner Daiichi Sankyo reported positive Phase 3 results for sacituzumab tirumotecan (Sac-TMT) in certain patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The treatment reduced the risk of death by 32% and the risk of disease progression or death by 41% versus chemotherapy; median overall survival was 19 months compared with 12.1 months. An FDA decision is expected by June 2027. Sac-TMT Phase 3 results
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA monotherapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 43% in a specified group of patients with mismatch repair-deficient endometrial cancer, reinforcing the drug’s oncology franchise and potential for additional indications. KEYTRUDA endometrial cancer results
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its MRK price target to $180 from $150 and maintained an overweight rating. Another valuation update lifted fair value to $159.76 from $155.68, citing Merck’s oncology pipeline and cancer-vaccine partnership. Barclays price-target increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck and Moderna’s personalized melanoma vaccine reduced recurrence or death by 42% when added to KEYTRUDA in a Phase 3 trial. However, the result was below some elevated investor expectations, and overall-survival data remain immature. Merck’s October 29 earnings call may provide details on regulatory filings, launch economics and the vaccine’s role in offsetting future Keytruda losses.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Keytruda’s compound-patent expiration in December 2028. Upcoming results must show that newer products—including Winrevair, Keytruda QLEX and other pipeline assets—can support management’s “shallow dip” outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New U.S. Treasury restrictions on certain U.S. collaborations and investments involving Chinese biotech companies could limit Merck’s access to partnerships, research and potential cancer-drug candidates from China. China biotech restrictions and Merck

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $153.12.

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. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.