Charter Research & Investment Group Inc. Sells 7,375 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Charter Research & Investment Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 21.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,427 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,375 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.5% of Charter Research & Investment Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Charter Research & Investment Group Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,334,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,013,000 after purchasing an additional 33,849 shares in the last quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% during the third quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $738,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Lansing Street Advisors increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2% during the third quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 4,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,749,000 after acquiring an additional 9,170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisor OS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 35,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,975,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage with an “outperform”/”moderate buy” and a $142 price target, highlighting analyst conviction and potential upside for MRK. Royal Bank of Canada Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced late‑breaking Phase 3 data for the doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) two‑drug HIV regimen and is in FDA review; trial results matched an established competitor (Biktarvy), supporting a potential new HIV franchise as Keytruda faces patent pressure. DOR/ISL Phase 3 Data (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Merck Animal Health received FDA approval for NUMELVI (atinvicitinib) for control of pruritus in dogs — a product approval that diversifies revenue and strengthens the veterinary business. NUMELVI FDA Approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and research pieces (Zacks, ResearchAndMarkets profile) are increasing visibility and may attract more institutional interest, but they are informational rather than immediate price catalysts. Zacks Trending Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting retirees shifting into dividend funds could help demand for large dividend-paying pharma names like MRK over time, but this is a gradual flow rather than an immediate driver. Dividend Funds Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit has cooled sharply (reported drop from bullish 63 to neutral 43), suggesting some short-term retail profit‑taking and weaker buyer interest despite the positive news flow. Reddit Sentiment Cooling

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $119.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $294.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $112.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.97.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.88.

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.