Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 249,110 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Francis Steltz on May 28th, 2026

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,307,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $120.27 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $116.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.17. The company has a market capitalization of $297.04 billion, a PE ratio of 33.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.40 and a 52 week high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.