Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,559,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $585,192,000.
Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% in the third quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. TD Cowen raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.47.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 valued at $38,281,735. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat revenue and consensus loss estimates; Keytruda and newer products drove sales growth and management raised adjusted profit outlook — this supports upside to near‑term fundamentals and investor confidence. Merck beats quarterly estimates on strength of Keytruda and new products, narrows outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Merck announced first patient dosed in two Phase 3 trials of enpatoran for lupus skin disease — a late‑stage clinical milestone that could add a new growth opportunity if successful. Merck Announces First Dose in Phase 3 Study with Enpatoran
- Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating on MRK — a third‑party vote of confidence that can support investor demand. Guggenheim Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck updated FY‑2026 guidance to EPS $5.040–5.160 and revenue $65.8B–$67.0B — roughly in line with consensus (EPS ~5.07; revenue ~66.5B), so guidance neither materially surprises to the upside nor signals major downside. Merck Announces First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts (Erste Group) trimmed FY estimates marginally — small model adjustments that are unlikely to drive a large re‑rating by themselves. Erste Group cuts FY2026 EPS estimate
- Negative Sentiment: GAAP Q1 showed a loss because of an acquisition‑related (Cidara) charge, offsetting otherwise stronger product sales — the one‑time charge creates headline risk and can pressure near‑term stock reactions despite operating growth. Merck posts quarterly loss due to Cidara charge, sales rise 5%
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1%
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $111.07 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.94 and a 200-day moving average of $107.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market capitalization of $274.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.31) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.91 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.
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.
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