Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. Buys Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on January 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on December 19th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA” account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Xiaomi (OTCMKTS:XIACF) on 12/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Schneider Electric S.E. (OTCMKTS:SBGSF) on 12/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Hermès International Société en commandite par actions (OTCMKTS:HESAF) on 12/30/2025.
• Purchased $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) on 12/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Tencent (OTC:TCTZF) on 12/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTCMKTS:MHVYF) on 12/26/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) on 12/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) on 12/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) on 12/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) on 12/24/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.98 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $110.03. 2,243,838 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,165,067. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $101.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.68. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 44.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRK. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.87.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California’s 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master’s in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master’s degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.