Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock: Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Boosts Stake

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 207,619 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 22,722 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $30,169,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 114,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,606,000 after buying an additional 7,416 shares during the last quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% in the third quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,357,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Aegis Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% in the third quarter. Aegis Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,267,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.3% during the third quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,804,000 after buying an additional 6,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westover Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.9% during the third quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,855,000 after buying an additional 1,047 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Argus upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $153.12.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.4%

MRK stock opened at $140.36 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.01 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $146.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $346.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.29, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and partner Daiichi Sankyo reported positive Phase 3 results for sacituzumab tirumotecan (Sac-TMT) in certain patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The treatment reduced the risk of death by 32% and the risk of disease progression or death by 41% versus chemotherapy; median overall survival was 19 months compared with 12.1 months. An FDA decision is expected by June 2027. Sac-TMT Phase 3 results
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA monotherapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 43% in a specified group of patients with mismatch repair-deficient endometrial cancer, reinforcing the drug’s oncology franchise and potential for additional indications. KEYTRUDA endometrial cancer results
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its MRK price target to $180 from $150 and maintained an overweight rating. Another valuation update lifted fair value to $159.76 from $155.68, citing Merck’s oncology pipeline and cancer-vaccine partnership. Barclays price-target increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck and Moderna’s personalized melanoma vaccine reduced recurrence or death by 42% when added to KEYTRUDA in a Phase 3 trial. However, the result was below some elevated investor expectations, and overall-survival data remain immature. Merck’s October 29 earnings call may provide details on regulatory filings, launch economics and the vaccine’s role in offsetting future Keytruda losses.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Keytruda’s compound-patent expiration in December 2028. Upcoming results must show that newer products—including Winrevair, Keytruda QLEX and other pipeline assets—can support management’s “shallow dip” outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New U.S. Treasury restrictions on certain U.S. collaborations and investments involving Chinese biotech companies could limit Merck’s access to partnerships, research and potential cancer-drug candidates from China. China biotech restrictions and Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.