Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Has $190.79 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,812,552 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,495 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $190,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP raised 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 purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,997,933,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,873,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,618,166,000 after purchasing an additional 805,201 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $118.99 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $293.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.52, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Buy rating on Merck, adding to the recent analyst support around the stock and reinforcing confidence in the company’s long-term outlook. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Gilead reported positive Phase III HIV data for their once-weekly islatravir/lenacapavir regimen, which could expand Merck’s infectious-disease franchise if regulatory filings proceed as planned. Gilead, Merck Report Positive Phase III HIV Study Data, End NSCLC Study
• Positive Sentiment: Merck said it is expanding its EU digital traceability efforts and exploring options to help address the emerging Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, highlighting new commercial and public-health initiatives. Merck Expands EU Traceability Push And Targets Bundibugyo Ebola Response
• Positive Sentiment: Technical coverage noted that MRK has moved back above its 50-day moving average while staying above its 200-day trendline, with Keytruda growth and pipeline progress supporting the investment case. Merck Stock Moves Above 50-Day SMA: Assessing Its Investment Case
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck was highlighted in research roundups and conference coverage, but these items were mainly recap-oriented and did not introduce a major new catalyst. Top Research Reports for Merck, Southern Company & Lumentum Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Merck and Gilead also ended a Phase III non-small-cell lung cancer study after it failed to meet its efficacy bar, which may temper enthusiasm around some of Merck’s oncology pipeline efforts. Will HIV Win and Lung Cancer Loss in Trials Recast Merck’s (MRK) Risk Reward Narrative?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

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.