Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Commonwealth Financial Services LLC

Commonwealth Financial Services LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 65.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,908 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,407 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 12th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 3rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.0%

MRK traded up $4.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $147.98. The company had a trading volume of 3,241,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,607,299. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $145.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $129.48. The company has a market capitalization of $365.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 118.35, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are evaluating Merck & Co.’s Phase 3 melanoma results, which could strengthen the company’s oncology pipeline and support the long-term outlook for its cancer-drug franchise. The market’s reaction to the data is the most relevant near-term catalyst for MRK. How Investors Are Reacting To Merck Phase 3 Melanoma Results
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s investment case continues to include a reliable dividend, strong global pharmaceutical operations and Keytruda’s leading position in oncology. The company also raised its 2026 sales outlook in its latest reported quarter, providing some support for the recovery thesis. Merck’s 2.4% Dividend Yield
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Merck with Amgen frame MRK as an income-oriented stock whose future returns depend on dividend growth, sales execution and replacing revenue as major products mature. This is a longer-term valuation consideration rather than a direct trading catalyst. Merck vs. Amgen Dividend Comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Silence Therapeutics for $20 per American depositary share, a 130% premium. The deal drove SLN sharply higher but does not represent an acquisition by Merck & Co. and should not be treated as an MRK-specific catalyst. Silence Therapeutics Gets Premium Offer From Merck KGaA
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MRK on October 16, suggesting some passive or institutional selling pressure. The flow is a short-term technical headwind, although it does not by itself change Merck’s fundamentals. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Merck

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.