Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Lifted by Claret Asset Management Corp

Claret Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 117.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 113,461 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,285 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.1% of Claret Asset Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Claret Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,013,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,980,084,000 after purchasing an additional 567,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck exercised an option on Evaxion’s EVX‑B3 infectious disease vaccine program — a sign of active pipeline expansion and BD activity that can add future revenue potential. Evaxion (EVAX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Merck expanded a multi‑year collaboration with Tempus AI on oncology and drug discovery tools — this reinforces R&D capability and could accelerate discovery programs. Assessing Tempus AI (TEM) Valuation After Expanded Merck Collaboration Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Market research on Pneumovax 23 highlights expanding adult/geriatric immunization demand and distribution improvements — potential tailwinds for Merck’s vaccine franchise over the medium term. Pneumovax 23 (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline market move note — outlets flagged MRK trading above the prior close, reflecting today’s mixed news flow and investor repositioning. Merck (MRK) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/reporting items: analyses and Dow pieces compare Merck with peers and flag sector shifts — useful context but not single‑handedly market moving for MRK. 2 Dow Jones Stocks to Research Further and 1 Facing Headwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Factbox: drugmakers are increasing U.S. manufacturing and inventory ahead of potential tariffs — could protect supply but may raise near‑term capex and inventory costs. Factbox-Global drugmakers rush to boost US presence as tariff threat looms
• Negative Sentiment: Big headwind: Gardasil sales plunged ~39% in 2025 (weak demand in China) and management does not expect a rebound in 2026 — a meaningful near‑term drag on Merck’s vaccine revenues and top‑line growth. Will Weak Gardasil Sales Continue to Weigh on MRK’s Top Line in 2026?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Guggenheim upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.2%

MRK stock opened at $117.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $289.72 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

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.