VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Sells 222,800 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Francis Steltz on Oct 31st, 2026

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 36.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 396,338 shares of the company’s stock after selling 222,800 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $57,592,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MRK

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $369.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $146.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.80 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(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.