Leonteq Securities AG Trims Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 3rd, 2026

Leonteq Securities AG lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,645 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,284 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.5% of Leonteq Securities AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Leonteq Securities AG’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.83.

Read Our Latest Research Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $129.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $117.04 and its 200 day moving average is $115.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $130.29.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.