K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc Acquires 31,950 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 392.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 40,100 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,950 shares during the quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $122.52 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $304.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.81. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MRK. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval in animal health: Merck Animal Health won U.S. FDA approval for NUMELVI (atinvicitinib) tablets for dogs, giving Merck a first‑to‑market second‑generation JAK inhibitor in veterinary dermatology and expanding recurring revenue potential in its animal health division. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: HIV regimen data and regulatory progress: Merck reported late‑breaking Phase 3 data for the two‑drug doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) regimen that matched Gilead’s Biktarvy and is under FDA review — a potential new chronic product to offset future revenue declines. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Late‑breaking CROI data: Merck announced three Phase 3 datasets for DOR/ISL at CROI 2026, reinforcing the clinical case and regulatory timing for the HIV regimen. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pediatric RSV asset shows promise: Positive Phase 3 SMART trial results for ENFLONSIA (clesrovimab) in infants/children under 2 expand Merck’s respiratory pipeline optionality. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and industry chatter: RBC initiated coverage with an Outperform and $142 PT (supportive), while Zacks, Barchart and other outlets note strong relative performance and investor interest — these shape sentiment but are not immediate revenue drivers. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate events and strategy reports: Merck will present at TD Cowen and appears in digital transformation profiles — useful for longer‑term narrative and institutional engagement. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda patent cliff and revenue risk: Coverage points to an upcoming Keytruda patent cliff that remains the major long‑term headwind; investors may be taking profits from recent multi‑session gains while awaiting clearer offsetting revenues from new launches. Article Title

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.