Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,411,429 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 238,477 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.22% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $576,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,120,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 38,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,068,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck completed the acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals, adding clinical-stage oncology assets to its pipeline—a near-term catalyst for growth and synergy expectations. Merck Completes Acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators point to continued KEYTRUDA-driven revenue and a strong pipeline; Merck delivered its fourth straight beat, supporting the view the stock may be undervalued on a longer-term basis. Merck Stock Looks Undervalued as KEYTRUDA Growth and Pipeline Offset Near-Term Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile media support: Jim Cramer highlighted Merck’s solid quarter and said the stock is “starting to come back,” which can boost retail demand and sentiment. Jim Cramer on Merck & Co.: “The Stock’s Starting to Come Back”
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional commentary: recent investor letters and analyst write-ups (e.g., Baron Capital coverage) review Merck as a core healthcare holding—useful background but not an immediate catalyst. What Makes Merck & Co. (MRK) an Investment Bet?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector news: Pfizer beat Q1 estimates but faces a looming patent cliff; competitive results and sector rotation can influence pharma multiples and investor attention, creating mixed pressure across large peers including Merck. Pfizer Beats Sales Estimates As $17 Billion Patent Cliff Looms
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/short-term risk: chart analysts warn a double-top breakdown and moving-average pressures that could produce a deeper correction, which may cap near-term upside despite fundamental positives. Merck (MRK) Price Forecast: Double Top Signals Deeper Correction Risk

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 209,258 shares of company stock worth $25,101,593. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $113.21 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $279.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $117.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.91.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 26.84%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.15 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.