Rathbones Group PLC Trims Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 4th, 2026

Rathbones Group PLC cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 14.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 222,240 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,250 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,733,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $127.72 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $135.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $315.45 billion, a PE ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $123.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.66.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

View Our Latest Research Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.