State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 18,294 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 860,235 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,294 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $90,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 61.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,325,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,930,000 after acquiring an additional 2,029,342 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $111.44 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $275.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.91 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. 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 sale, the executive vice president 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck beat EPS expectations for Q1, reporting ($1.28) per share vs. consensus ($1.31) and showed strong profitability metrics (high ROE and a healthy net margin). The company published a press release and slide deck with details. View Press Release View Slide Deck
• Positive Sentiment: Sales rose ~5% with continued strong demand for Keytruda and growth from newer products; management raised its adjusted-profit outlook, which supports investor confidence in organic growth. Merck beats quarterly estimates on strength of Keytruda and new products, narrows outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating on MRK, which can provide incremental investor support. Guggenheim Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued a formal Q1 financial-results release summarizing regulatory approvals and clinical milestones; useful for context but largely reiterative of earnings highlights. Business Wire Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party commentary and valuation pieces note a recent pullback and longer-term gains — these frame investor sentiment but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Assessing Merck (MRK) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And Long Term Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Merck posted a GAAP quarterly loss due to an acquisition-related charge tied to Cidara, which offset operational sales gains and introduces near-term earnings volatility. Merck posts quarterly loss due to Cidara charge, sales rise 5%
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts (Erste Group) trimmed FY2026/2027 EPS forecasts slightly, reflecting caution around guidance narrowing and one‑time charges — a modest headwind for sentiment. (Analyst note reported by MarketBeat)

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.