Kestra Advisory Services LLC Buys 45,974 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 11th, 2026

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 15.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 338,012 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 45,974 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $40,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, each combined with Padcev, for use before and after surgery in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This expands Merck’s flagship oncology franchise and could add to future revenue. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley slightly raising its price target and RBC Capital reiterating a Buy rating. That suggests Wall Street still sees upside despite the stock’s recent run. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Merck continues to attract investor attention thanks to strong year-to-date performance, a solid dividend yield, and a long record of dividend growth, which may support demand for the shares. Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes Merck is one of the more widely watched healthcare names on Zacks, but these mentions do not appear to add any new fundamental catalyst on their own. Article Title
Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat news flow, the shares also face ongoing valuation and post-KEYTRUDA exclusivity concerns, which may limit upside if investors focus on Merck’s long-term patent risk. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $1.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $123.72. The company had a trading volume of 8,388,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,797,806. The firm has a market cap of $305.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.72.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK

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.