First American Trust FSB Grows Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

First American Trust FSB grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 220.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,143 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,478 shares during the quarter. First American Trust FSB’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.0% during the third quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 67,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,653,000 after buying an additional 11,704 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 721,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,514,000 after acquiring an additional 13,189 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.3% during the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 39,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,289,000 after acquiring an additional 6,069 shares during the last quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.7% in the third quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 45,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% during the third quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 96,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,103,000 after purchasing an additional 6,295 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive clinical and regulatory updates — Merck reported Phase 3 SMART results for ENFLONSIA showing protection against RSV in high‑risk infants into a second season, and the FDA cleared new KEYTRUDA formulations/indications (including a subcutaneous option), expanding near‑term growth levers. Merck RSV And KEYTRUDA Updates Refocus Attention On Valuation And Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Market placement/relative strength — Merck hit an annual high in the Russell 1000, signaling continued institutional interest and relative strength vs. peers. Merck (NYSE:MRK) Hits Annual High in Russell 1000
• Neutral Sentiment: Official reorganization announced — Merck is formally evolving its Human Health operating structure into two divisions (a cancer‑focused unit and a non‑cancer/vaccines unit) to sharpen launches and portfolio execution; the move is strategic but its net financial impact is uncertain. Merck Evolves Human Health Operating Structure to Support Portfolio Execution
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage notes — New research coverage and an average analyst rating around “Moderate Buy” provide support but don’t materially change the risk/reward in the near term. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda patent cliff remains a major risk — Management’s split is explicitly to offset expected revenue pressure from Keytruda’s loss of exclusivity (patent expiry window), which could allow biosimilar competition and materially reduce future sales. That long‑term downside is the key risk investors are weighing. Merck to create separate cancer business to offset Keytruda patent loss, WSJ reports

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $123.63 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $124.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $111.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $306.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced 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 business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 45.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 46.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.80.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.