Sanctuary Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Stanley Muller on Jul 15th, 2026

Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 13.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 406,087 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,579 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $48,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,737,504,000 after buying an additional 1,859,990 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,307,572,000 after acquiring an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,731,018,000 after acquiring an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.94.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $120.91 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $130.29. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.60. The company has a market cap of $298.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.06, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: The FDA expanded approval for Merck’s Keytruda in combination with Pfizer’s Padcev for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, broadening the drug’s potential use and strengthening Keytruda’s growth outlook. FDA Expands MRK & PFE’s Keytruda-Padcev Combo Use in Bladder Cancer
Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised price targets on Merck, including JPMorgan, BMO Capital Markets, and Guggenheim, reflecting stronger confidence in the company’s pipeline and earnings power. Analyst price target updates
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching Merck’s upcoming earnings report, with expectations centered on whether Keytruda growth and other business trends can offset pressure from patent-cliff concerns and slower mature-drug sales. Earnings preview: What to expect from Merck & Co.’s report
Neutral Sentiment: Merck is also being discussed by traders as a potential value play and as a company facing a future Keytruda patent cliff, which keeps long-term sentiment mixed despite recent positives. Why Merck Stock Is in the Spotlight Today

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.