Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Buys New Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 10,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $145, which is a direct positive signal from a major sell-side firm and can lift investor sentiment. UBS Boosts MRK Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Keytruda as the primary growth driver heading into Q1 results, noting new indications and uptake that could sustain revenue growth — this supports medium-term earnings expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck’s Top Line?
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter and technical traders are bullish on MRK; an options/technical piece highlights a bullish diagonal trade targeting $130, reflecting some traders positioning for a near-term rebound. Bullish Diagonal Trade Targets $130
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks/Yahoo attention pieces note MRK is a trending stock and recap key facts (pipeline, Keytruda dependence, valuation) — useful for retail interest but not new company-specific catalysts. Merck Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports cite Merck among major players in the animal-health market outlook — this is incremental, long-term relevance rather than an immediate stock driver. Animal Health Market Intelligence Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Merck KGaA (XTRA:MRK) valuation can create ticker/name confusion for casual readers but has no direct impact on U.S.-listed Merck & Co. fundamentals. Assessing Merck KGaA Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Other healthcare staffing and small-cap biotech headlines in the feed (Soleo Health, Summit Therapeutics) are peripheral and unlikely to move MRK stock materially. Soleo Health Appointment Summit Therapeutics BLA Acceptance

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.1%

MRK opened at $115.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $285.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $119.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.