Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG cut its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 24.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,788,311 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,058,050 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,346,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Analysts LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 73,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,766,000 after purchasing an additional 6,787 shares during the period. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 10,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 295,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,087,000 after purchasing an additional 12,221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 2,467,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,733,000 after purchasing an additional 44,858 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Gilead reported positive Phase 3 results for their once-weekly HIV regimen islatravir/lenacapavir, meeting the primary efficacy endpoint in both studies and moving the program closer to regulatory filings. Article: Gilead and Merck Announce Positive Topline Results From Two Phase 3 Studies Evaluating Islatravir/Lenacapavir, an Oral Once-Weekly HIV Treatment
• Positive Sentiment: The HIV data could strengthen Merck’s long-term pipeline and add a potential new growth driver if the once-weekly treatment wins approval and commercialization proceeds as expected. Article: Gilead, Merck Report Positive Phase III HIV Study Data, End NSCLC Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also presented at the Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference, which typically reinforces management’s strategy and pipeline commentary but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article: Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with The Hashgraph Group on an EU digital product passport for regulated supply chains is strategically interesting, but it is unlikely to have a near-term material impact on earnings. Article: The Hashgraph Group and Merck Introduce EU Digital Product Passport on Hedera for Regulated Supply Chains
• Negative Sentiment: Merck and Gilead discontinued a Phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer study after it failed to show a statistically significant benefit, which removes one potential oncology catalyst and highlights clinical risk in the pipeline. Article: Merck and Gilead Provide Update on Phase 3 KEYNOTE-D46/EVOKE-03 Study
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters also reported Merck is exploring treatment options for a rare Ebola strain, which may reflect additional research effort but could carry uncertainty around development timing and commercial value. Article: Merck (MRK) Explores Treatment Options for Rare Ebola Strain, Reuters Reports

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:MRK opened at $119.54 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $116.56 and a 200-day moving average of $112.85. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $295.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.