Stack Financial Management Inc Has $22.15 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stack Financial Management Inc lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 210,381 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,917 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.7% of Stack Financial Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $22,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,733,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,112 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — revenue of $16.29B, EPS ahead of consensus, and management maintained/raised FY‑2026 guidance and reiterated growth drivers from oncology and new launches. MRK Q1 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and M&A boost long‑term thesis — recent FDA approval of the HIV regimen IDVYNSO, KEYTRUDA priority reviews and the Terns acquisition (adds TERN‑701) support upside beyond Keytruda. Analysts and bulls point to these as offsetting Patent risks. Pipeline & Terns Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media support — major firms (Wells Fargo, BMO) reaffirm buy ratings and commentators such as Jim Cramer highlighted the quarter as a turning point, which helps sentiment. Wells Fargo Buy Rating BMO Buy Rating Jim Cramer on MRK
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional commentary — Baron Capital highlighted MRK in its Q1 letter as an investment case, reflecting continued institutional interest but not immediate catalyst. Baron Capital Letter
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/price risk — chart analysts flag a confirmed double‑top breakdown and moving‑average resistance that could open a deeper correction, increasing short‑term downside risk despite fundamentals. Double Top Technical Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation and shorter‑term profit‑taking — some sell pressure in pharma after strong earnings days for the sector has weighed on MRK intermittently, tempering the rally. Sector Sentiment Note

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $113.05 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The company has a market cap of $279.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $117.69 and a 200 day moving average of $107.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 26.84%. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.9 EPS for the current year.

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.