Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) EVP Chirfi Guindo Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 14th, 2026

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Chirfi Guindo also recently made the following trade(s):

On Thursday, August 6th, Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:MRK opened at $135.57 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $334.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $135.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $125.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade supports the shares: Daiwa Securities raised Merck from “neutral” to “outperform” and assigned a $143 price target. Other recent research places potential fair value in the $140–$155 range, citing pipeline progress and business-development activity. Daiwa Securities analyst upgrade
Positive Sentiment: Strong momentum and pipeline optimism: MRK touched a fresh all-time high, while analysts highlighted late-stage therapeutics and new products as potential sources of growth. Keytruda demand, oncology sales and Animal Health also helped drive recent quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, above expectations. Merck fair value and pipeline article
Positive Sentiment: Dividend adds income appeal: Merck declared its regular quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to $3.40 annually and a yield of roughly 2.5% based on the referenced trading level.
Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling raises a modest caution flag: Executives sold shares in several recent transactions, including Jennifer Zachary’s approximately $10.7 million sale and Richard Deluca’s additional sale of roughly $1.5 million. Both executives retained meaningful holdings, so the transactions may reflect personal portfolio decisions rather than a change in company outlook. Merck insider selling report
Negative Sentiment: Keytruda concentration remains a long-term risk: Patent expiration and rising competition could eventually pressure Merck’s largest growth driver. Investors will therefore focus on whether the pipeline and newer launches can offset future Keytruda revenue declines. Keytruda growth outlook

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $279,000. LM Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $1,814,000. TrinityBridge Ltd bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $446,000. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $1,773,000. Finally, OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $969,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.50.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Get 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.