WESPAC Advisors LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

WESPAC Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 27,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,926,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.6% of WESPAC Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 127,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,469,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. Sky Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Sky Investment Group LLC now owns 82,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 60,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,367,000 after buying an additional 5,213 shares during the period. Finally, Cypress Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 256.9% during the 4th quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 9,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $119.77 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $116.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $296.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company 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 dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a US$6.7B acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals to add TERN-701 (an investigational oral CML therapy) to its oncology/hematology pipeline—a clear move to build revenue and R&D options ahead of Keytruda’s planned 2028 exclusivity loss. Merck Targets Post Keytruda Future With US$6.7b Terns Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: RBC reiterated an Outperform and kept a $142 price target after Merck’s Terns call, signaling sell‑side support for the strategy despite questions about the transaction premium. RBC Reiterates Merck (MRK) Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Agilent won FDA approval for the PD‑L1 22C3 companion diagnostic in esophageal/GEJ carcinoma, which can help identify patients for Keytruda treatment—supportive for near‑term uptake in that indication. Agilent receives FDA approval for PD-L1 1HC 22C3 pharmDx
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) and option/trade ideas targeting MRK indicate elevated investor interest and constructive conviction in Merck as a defensive large‑cap pharma. Jim Cramer on Merck & Co.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst model tweaks are minor: Erste marginally raised FY2026 EPS estimates (from $5.12 to $5.13), reflecting limited near‑term changes to consensus earnings expectations. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note Merck has outperformed recently (stock up ~50% over six months); some articles offer tactical trade ideas (options/covered calls) that reflect market momentum rather than fundamental shifts. Merck Stock Soars 50% in 6 Months
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda’s planned 2028 loss of exclusivity remains the central long‑term risk—analysts and articles stress patent cliff exposure and some weak vaccine sales, which temper valuation upside. Zacks: Merck Stock Soars 50% in 6 Months
• Negative Sentiment: The proposed Terns transaction may face rival interest and is the subject of a shareholder‑lawyer investigation (Kahn Swick & Foti), introducing deal execution, regulatory and legal risk that could delay or change terms. MSN: Merck’s Terns acquisition may face rival interest BusinessWire: KSF Investigation

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.