Thomasville National Bank Invests $5.49 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 14th, 2026

Thomasville National Bank acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 42,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,493,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 15,636 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,918,000 after acquiring an additional 359,356 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $135.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $125.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.83. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $135.68.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) 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 net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company 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 is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.50.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MRK

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher valuations: Daiwa Securities upgraded Merck to “outperform” with a $143 price target, while other analyst commentary placed fair-value estimates in the $140–$155 range. A separate valuation assessment raised fair value from $132.78 to $136.85, citing pipeline progress and recent business-development activity. Merck fair value article
Positive Sentiment: Shares reached a record level: Merck was among the companies touching fresh all-time highs, signaling strong recent momentum and investor confidence in its earnings outlook. Merck all-time high article
Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and core products support growth: Analysts highlighted Merck’s late-stage pipeline, business-development efforts and continued demand for Keytruda. Recent quarterly results also showed revenue of $16.61 billion, above expectations, with oncology and Animal Health cited as important contributors. Merck earnings call analysis
Neutral Sentiment: Dividend provides income support: Merck declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, or $3.40 annualized. The payout may support demand for the stock, although the reported payout ratio is elevated.
Negative Sentiment: Cluster of executive sales: Several executives sold shares, including Jennifer Zachary’s approximately $10.7 million sale, Chirfi Guindo’s $1.35 million sale and Richard Deluca’s additional $1.54 million sale. These transactions reduced their holdings substantially and could weigh modestly on sentiment, though insiders retained shares.
Negative Sentiment: Keytruda concentration risk: Keytruda remains Merck’s main growth engine, but future patent loss and increasing competition could pressure sales and earnings. Investors will look for newer products and pipeline candidates to offset that risk. Keytruda growth outlook article

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.