Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 21.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,757 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,893 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. a16z Perennial Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $291,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 333.5% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 197,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,544,000 after acquiring an additional 152,177 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the third quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 17,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Renasant Bank raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 34.5% during the third quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 14,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the third quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 118,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,980,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Dean Y. Li sold 15,087 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.77, for a total value of $1,791,882.99. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 102,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,146,607.90. This trade represents a 12.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 188,603 shares of company stock worth $22,612,212. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.53.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $121.92 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $122.66. The company has a market cap of $302.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates (EPS and revenue) and management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $5.00–$5.15 while citing growth drivers such as Keytruda, Animal Health and new drug launches — a near-term earnings beat that supports upside. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target from $122 to $140 and kept a Buy rating, giving analysts’ support to the rally and indicating ~15% further upside from recent levels. Guggenheim PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Other broker notes are bullish — Citigroup and Scotiabank published favorable outlooks/target increases highlighting execution and price appreciation potential. Citigroup Forecast Scotiabank Lift
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flags a “subdued” 2026 outlook driven by acquisition-related charges, which mutes the beat; but it still points to Keytruda, Animal Health and new launches as the primary growth levers — a mixed read on near-term margin/earnings progression. Zacks Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Robert M. Davis sold ~47,434 shares, CFO Caroline Litchfield ~41,997 shares, EVP Richard Deluca ~37,685 shares, CMO Chirfi Guindo ~20,000 and multiple other senior executives also trimmed positions — large, coordinated filings that may weigh on sentiment despite corporate explanations (e.g., diversification or tax/planned sales). SEC filings: CEO Form 4 CFO Form 4 EVP Form 4

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.