5,585 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Hohimer Wealth Management LLC

Hohimer Wealth Management LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,710 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,585 shares during the quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the third quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.2% in the third quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cascade Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide, an investigational weekly treatment for adults with MASH and stage F2 or F3 liver fibrosis. The findings add a potential new opportunity in liver disease, although the supplied report does not include detailed efficacy results. Article: Merck Announces Positive Results from Phase 2b Trial of Efinopegdutide
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has started the Phase 3 ENHANCE-3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance treatment. Separately, the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer, advancing two potential growth drivers. Article: Merck Starts ENHANCE 3 COPD Trial As Cancer Drug Review Nears
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Tempus AI is expected to contribute to a five-year partnership value of roughly $192.5 million, providing a data and AI-related research tie-up; the article does not detail the financial impact to Merck. Article: The AI Debt Bill Is Coming Due, But Biotech Has Revenue to Show for the Boom
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts describe Merck’s 2027 growth outlook as challenging, citing generic competition, weaker vaccine performance and slowing growth for Keytruda. These pressures could weigh on near-term results, despite the company’s expanding pipeline. Article: MRK’s 2027 Outlook Challenging, Long-Term Prospects Promising

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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 report on Thursday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 102,014 shares of company stock worth $13,608,779. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.2%

MRK stock opened at $148.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $366.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 153.08, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $85.80 and a twelve month high of $156.92. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $146.39 and a 200-day moving average of $127.82.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.

Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.