Strs Ohio Lowers Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by George Bondi on Jul 3rd, 2026

Strs Ohio trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,098,353 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60,624 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.5% of Strs Ohio’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $132,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 5,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 853,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,613,000 after purchasing an additional 22,955 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Able Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.9% in the first quarter. Able Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $250,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.83.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $130.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $117.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.27. 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. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s 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.