Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Lessened by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,199 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,342 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% in the third quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 12,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,759,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group now owns 2,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $852,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. L.K. Benson & Company P.C. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $218,000. Finally, Invested Advisors increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invested Advisors now owns 2,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%

MRK opened at $145.25 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $146.98 and a 200 day moving average of $130.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The firm has a market cap of $358.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for the personalized melanoma vaccine, intismeran, combined with Keytruda. The treatment reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% and also improved distant metastasis-free survival, supporting the long-term potential of the partnership’s oncology pipeline. Doctors call Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine data a major advancement
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, regardless of patients’ cisplatin eligibility. The broader label expands the addressable market and represents the EU’s first approval of a PD-1 inhibitor combined with an antibody-drug conjugate in this setting. Merck wins EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite strong clinical results, the vaccine announcement triggered a “sell-the-news” reaction. The data largely met elevated Wall Street expectations after an earlier leak, limiting the immediate upside for MRK even though oncologists viewed the results as an important treatment advance. Merck and Moderna shares fall on cancer vaccine results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about valuation and Merck’s future revenue concentration in Keytruda ahead of its patent cliff. Analysts have also characterized the recent rally as leaving limited margin of safety, increasing the risk of profit-taking when news is merely in line with expectations. Merck rally leaves little margin of safety
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.63 from $2.73 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.38 from $9.47. Separate previews also anticipate a year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings, adding near-term pressure to the shares. Merck earnings preview

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.