Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Acquired Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on September 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on August 5th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA” account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Semtech (NASDAQ:SMTC) on 9/2/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chart Industries (NYSE:GTLS) on 9/2/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Avient (NYSE:AVNT) on 9/2/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amdocs (NASDAQ:DOX) on 8/27/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amdocs (NASDAQ:DOX) on 8/26/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intapp (NASDAQ:INTA) on 8/26/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of APi Group (NYSE:APG) on 8/26/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) on 8/26/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Semtech (NASDAQ:SMTC) on 8/26/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fortive (NYSE:FTV) on 8/26/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $81.41 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $203.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $118.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $82.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.34.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $2,858,570,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,418,820,000 after purchasing an additional 29,104,112 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth approximately $991,553,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,139,901,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.41.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California’s 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master’s in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master’s degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.