Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Vaughan David Investments LLC IL

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 412,241 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,664 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $34,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Five‑year Phase 2b data show Merck’s KEYTRUDA combined with Moderna’s individualized mRNA vaccine (intismeran autogene / mRNA‑4157) reduced the risk of recurrence or death by ~49% in high‑risk melanoma after surgery — a durable, clinically meaningful result that supports further late‑stage development and could materially expand Merck’s oncology franchise if confirmed. Moderna, Merck’s skin cancer vaccine shows sustained benefit after five years
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage and company release reinforce the same five‑year efficacy signal and note ongoing Phase 2/3 studies across multiple tumor types — newsflow that could drive re‑rating of MRK’s growth outlook in oncology. Moderna, Merck Report Positive Results From Cancer-Vaccine Study
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reaffirmed its Buy rating on Merck, signaling continued analyst conviction in the stock’s longer‑term fundamentals and pipeline potential. Wells Fargo Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry writeups and buy‑and‑hold pieces highlight MRK as a durable dividend and healthcare franchise pick — supportive for steady investor interest but unlikely to move the stock materially by itself. 3 “Forever Stocks” to Hold When the Market Won’t Sit Still (MRK)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary pieces (e.g., “poised for breakout” profiles) may support momentum if follow‑through comes from M&A or trial advancement, but they are opinion‑based. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Poised for Breakout After Strategic M&A and Pipeline Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/insider‑related activity: a report that Rep. Julie Johnson sold MRK shares can create short‑term selling pressure or headlines; generally a limited signal for a large, diversified pharma but worth noting. Rep. Julie Johnson Sells Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.87.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $108.89 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $270.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $102.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.34. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

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.