NewEdge Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 413,565 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,134 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $49,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $519,000. First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $12,535,000. Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $610,000. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 10,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,277,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the period. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $868,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.56.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $128.27 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $123.78 and a 200 day moving average of $119.04. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $135.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $316.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.62, a PEG ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid 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 Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increase: Guggenheim raised its Merck price target from $145 to $146 and maintained a Buy rating, implying meaningful upside from the referenced share price. This reinforces positive Wall Street sentiment. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda gains another approval: Health Canada approved Keytruda with enfortumab vedotin for certain cisplatin-ineligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, expanding the drug’s use and potentially supporting sales before its major patent expirations. Health Canada approves Keytruda treatment
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and post-Keytruda strategy: Merck’s second-quarter commentary highlighted new product launches, pipeline progress and efforts to diversify into areas including vaccines, infectious diseases, hematology, cardiopulmonary disease and obesity. The company also raised its 2026 sales outlook, improving confidence in near-term execution. MRK Q2 earnings call
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend comparison: Merck’s latest results have renewed debate over whether it offers a better income opportunity than Pfizer. The discussion may attract dividend-focused investors, but it does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. Pfizer or Merck dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda patent risk remains central: Keytruda is approaching a significant patent cliff beginning in 2028. Merck is accelerating acquisitions and partnerships to offset the eventual revenue decline, but those investments can pressure earnings and increase execution risk. Merck is racing beyond Keytruda
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed pipeline development: Merck discontinued tulisokibart development in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease, although the drug continues to be evaluated in other indications. The setback highlights clinical-development risk as Merck builds its post-Keytruda portfolio. MSD anti-TL1A trial update

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.