Private Trust Co. NA Buys 4,381 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,965 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,381 shares during the quarter. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,120,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Abound Wealth Management increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 6,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $145, which is a direct positive signal from a major sell-side firm and can lift investor sentiment. UBS Boosts MRK Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Keytruda as the primary growth driver heading into Q1 results, noting new indications and uptake that could sustain revenue growth — this supports medium-term earnings expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck’s Top Line?
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter and technical traders are bullish on MRK; an options/technical piece highlights a bullish diagonal trade targeting $130, reflecting some traders positioning for a near-term rebound. Bullish Diagonal Trade Targets $130
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks/Yahoo attention pieces note MRK is a trending stock and recap key facts (pipeline, Keytruda dependence, valuation) — useful for retail interest but not new company-specific catalysts. Merck Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports cite Merck among major players in the animal-health market outlook — this is incremental, long-term relevance rather than an immediate stock driver. Animal Health Market Intelligence Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Merck KGaA (XTRA:MRK) valuation can create ticker/name confusion for casual readers but has no direct impact on U.S.-listed Merck & Co. fundamentals. Assessing Merck KGaA Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Other healthcare staffing and small-cap biotech headlines in the feed (Soleo Health, Summit Therapeutics) are peripheral and unlikely to move MRK stock materially. Soleo Health Appointment Summit Therapeutics BLA Acceptance

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.1%

MRK opened at $115.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $285.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $119.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.58.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were 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 was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.47.

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.