Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires 33,127 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 18.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 210,569 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,127 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares during the period. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,013,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,980,084,000 after acquiring an additional 567,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~14.6% in January to ~28.7M shares (≈1.2% of float), lowering short‑pressure and reducing the odds of a short‑squeeze‑driven reversal. (Data: Jan. 30 short interest)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research argues Merck’s recent rally isn’t excess — analysts highlight extended Keytruda exclusivity, QLEX migration and pipeline/BD upside as durable revenue drivers. This supports longer‑term upside expectations. Merck: A Buy For 2026, But The Clock Is Still Ticking
• Positive Sentiment: Merck entered a strategic collaboration with Calla Lily Clinical Care to advance an intravaginal drug‑delivery platform (Callavid®), expanding non‑oncology device/partnered opportunities that could augment future topline or BD interest. Calla Lily Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck reaffirmed solid fundamentals: recent quarter beat estimates, announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend March 16) and provided FY‑2026 EPS guidance. These support income/long‑term holders but may be largely priced in near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Large, high‑visibility insider sale: EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.5M) at ≈$119.15 and materially reduced her stake — a prominent executive sale that can spook short‑term traders. Form 4 — Jennifer Zachary
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider sales: CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares (~$1.18M) and other senior executives (including the CFO and another EVP) disclosed multi‑million dollar sales, amplifying negative sentiment from leadership selling. Form 4 — Chirfi Guindo CFO Sale Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary and at least one downgrade flag a near‑term balancing act — caution about valuation after a strong run and nearer‑term catalysts keeps trading volatility elevated. Balancing Act Article

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $117.12 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $122.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.09, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.75.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 45.22%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.