Everett Harris & Co. CA Sells 3,510 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Everett Harris & Co. CA lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 217,526 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,510 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $31,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Beat-and-raise results supported the stock. Merck lifted its 2026 adjusted earnings outlook, helped by better performance from Keytruda—including the newer Qlex formulation—and recently launched products. The company’s sales forecast was raised to approximately $66.8 billion-$67.3 billion. MRK Q3 earnings and sales beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Growth from newer products is helping offset longer-term patent concerns. WINREVAIR revenue rose sharply, reaching about $694 million, while Keytruda and Qlex sales remained resilient. Investors are looking for these products to reduce Merck’s dependence on Keytruda before its expected patent-related erosion later in the decade. Merck revenue up on Keytruda and Winrevair growth
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology pipeline news improved Merck’s growth narrative. Phase 3 data showed KEYTRUDA reduced the risk of disease progression in advanced endometrial cancer, while sacituzumab tirumotecan produced positive late-stage results and received FDA priority review. These developments could expand Merck’s future cancer franchise if approvals and commercialization succeed. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term revenue quality remains mixed. Management indicated that roughly $550 million of quarterly sales benefited from customer-purchase timing, suggesting underlying growth was closer to flat. Merck also warned of generic-drug headwinds in 2027, making pipeline execution increasingly important.
• Negative Sentiment: Patent-cliff and legal risks remain overhangs. Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity remains the central long-term concern, and a law firm announced an investigation into potential securities-law violations related to an October 22 disclosure. No wrongdoing has been established.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $146.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $360.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 117.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $146.89 and a 200 day moving average of $126.49. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $153.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.