Madrona Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,591,000.
Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Graney & King LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Key Merck & Co., Inc. News
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for the personalized melanoma vaccine, intismeran, combined with Keytruda. The treatment reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% and also improved distant metastasis-free survival, supporting the long-term potential of the partnership’s oncology pipeline. Doctors call Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine data a major advancement
- Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, regardless of patients’ cisplatin eligibility. The broader label expands the addressable market and represents the EU’s first approval of a PD-1 inhibitor combined with an antibody-drug conjugate in this setting. Merck wins EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev
- Neutral Sentiment: Despite strong clinical results, the vaccine announcement triggered a “sell-the-news” reaction. The data largely met elevated Wall Street expectations after an earlier leak, limiting the immediate upside for MRK even though oncologists viewed the results as an important treatment advance. Merck and Moderna shares fall on cancer vaccine results
- Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about valuation and Merck’s future revenue concentration in Keytruda ahead of its patent cliff. Analysts have also characterized the recent rally as leaving limited margin of safety, increasing the risk of profit-taking when news is merely in line with expectations. Merck rally leaves little margin of safety
- Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.63 from $2.73 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.38 from $9.47. Separate previews also anticipate a year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings, adding near-term pressure to the shares. Merck earnings preview
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.4%
NYSE:MRK opened at $145.25 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $146.98 and a 200 day moving average of $130.17. The firm has a market cap of $358.35 billion, a PE ratio of 116.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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.
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