214,812 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Purchased by Moran Wealth Management LLC

Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 214,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,029,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 5,135,748 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,540,145,000 after purchasing an additional 5,094,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $130 and reiterated a “buy” rating, implying ~20% upside and signaling stronger analyst confidence in Merck’s outlook. UBS Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated the Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 trial for calderasib (MK-1084) in combination with KEYTRUDA for KRAS G12C-mutant advanced NSCLC — a meaningful pipeline advancement that could expand oncology revenue if successful. Phase 3 Trial Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is set to complete the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, adding antifungal assets/technology that could be complementary to Merck’s anti-infectives portfolio. M&A typically supports medium-term growth expectations. Cidara Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate PR: Dr. Rasha Kelej of the Merck Foundation was named one of the “100 Most Influential Africans,” a reputational positive though with limited direct market impact. Merck Foundation Recognition
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup nudged its target up to $110 but kept a “neutral” rating — a modest signal that some analysts see limited near-term upside. Citi Target Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck scheduled its Q4 & full‑year 2025 sales and earnings call for Feb. 3 — a key upcoming catalyst where management guidance and pipeline updates could move the stock. Earnings Call Notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundup and industry pieces (Benzinga, Zacks, 247WallStreet) are circulating, with some buy-the-dip commentary on medical stocks; these drive attention but contain mixed buy/hold views for MRK. Analyst Roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent move: a former Merck vaccines president was named CEO at Vaxxas — notable for industry dynamics but not a direct negative for Merck. Vaxxas Appointment
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/market risk: reporting that the U.S. trimmed the childhood vaccine schedule to 11 core shots raises near-term demand concerns for vaccine makers, a potential headwind for Merck’s vaccine revenue. Vaccine Schedule Report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 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 report on Monday, November 24th. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $108.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $98.62 and its 200-day moving average is $88.62. The company has a market cap of $269.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $111.46.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.