CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Decreases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 43,814 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,268 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.8% of CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,270,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Merck to $141 from $130 and reiterated a buy rating, citing improved upside potential. Bank of America raises Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank lifted its price target to $155 from $136 and maintained an outperform rating, signaling stronger confidence in Merck’s valuation and earnings outlook. Scotiabank raises Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group slightly increased its FY2027 EPS estimate for Merck, reflecting modestly improved long-term earnings expectations. Erste Group EPS estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced it will hold its second-quarter 2026 sales and earnings conference call on Aug. 4, keeping investors focused on upcoming results and guidance. Merck earnings conference call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also hit a new 52-week high following the analyst upgrade, but the stock has since pulled back after its six-day advance, suggesting some profit-taking. Merck sets new 52-week high on analyst upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. lawmakers launched a national security probe into Merck’s clinical trial activities in China, raising concerns about data protection, oversight, and exposure to politically sensitive trial sites. Merck faces U.S. security probe over China clinical trials
• Negative Sentiment: Broader healthcare weakness also weighed on sentiment, with the sector lower late Tuesday afternoon. Healthcare stocks softer late afternoon

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $125.30 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.06. The stock has a market cap of $309.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.29, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.