Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Purchased by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,353 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,550 shares during the quarter. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $30,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $41,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 102,014 shares of company stock worth $13,608,779. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.2%

MRK opened at $148.49 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.82. The company has a market capitalization of $366.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 153.08, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $85.80 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 30th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide, an investigational weekly treatment for adults with MASH and stage F2 or F3 liver fibrosis. The findings add a potential new opportunity in liver disease, although the supplied report does not include detailed efficacy results. Article: Merck Announces Positive Results from Phase 2b Trial of Efinopegdutide
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has started the Phase 3 ENHANCE-3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance treatment. Separately, the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer, advancing two potential growth drivers. Article: Merck Starts ENHANCE 3 COPD Trial As Cancer Drug Review Nears
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Tempus AI is expected to contribute to a five-year partnership value of roughly $192.5 million, providing a data and AI-related research tie-up; the article does not detail the financial impact to Merck. Article: The AI Debt Bill Is Coming Due, But Biotech Has Revenue to Show for the Boom
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts describe Merck’s 2027 growth outlook as challenging, citing generic competition, weaker vaccine performance and slowing growth for Keytruda. These pressures could weigh on near-term results, despite the company’s expanding pipeline. Article: MRK’s 2027 Outlook Challenging, Long-Term Prospects Promising

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.

Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.