74,700 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Willis Investment Counsel

Posted by Geri Gentry on Oct 20th, 2026

Willis Investment Counsel trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 23.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 238,067 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74,700 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.5% of Willis Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $34,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: Investors are evaluating Merck & Co.’s Phase 3 melanoma results, which could strengthen the company’s oncology pipeline and support the long-term outlook for its cancer-drug franchise. The market’s reaction to the data is the most relevant near-term catalyst for MRK. How Investors Are Reacting To Merck Phase 3 Melanoma Results
Positive Sentiment: Merck’s investment case continues to include a reliable dividend, strong global pharmaceutical operations and Keytruda’s leading position in oncology. The company also raised its 2026 sales outlook in its latest reported quarter, providing some support for the recovery thesis. Merck’s 2.4% Dividend Yield
Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Merck with Amgen frame MRK as an income-oriented stock whose future returns depend on dividend growth, sales execution and replacing revenue as major products mature. This is a longer-term valuation consideration rather than a direct trading catalyst. Merck vs. Amgen Dividend Comparison
Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Silence Therapeutics for $20 per American depositary share, a 130% premium. The deal drove SLN sharply higher but does not represent an acquisition by Merck & Co. and should not be treated as an MRK-specific catalyst. Silence Therapeutics Gets Premium Offer From Merck KGaA
Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MRK on October 16, suggesting some passive or institutional selling pressure. The flow is a short-term technical headwind, although it does not by itself change Merck’s fundamentals. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.0%

NYSE:MRK traded up $4.30 on Tuesday, hitting $147.93. The stock had a trading volume of 3,373,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,607,921. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $364.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.48.

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 16.73% 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. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.

View Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.