Moran Wealth Management LLC Has $26.50 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 4th, 2026

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 7.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 220,292 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,677 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.8% of Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $1,012,530,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $585,192,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $319.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $117.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.83.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(Free Report)

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.