Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Purchased by Candriam S.C.A.

Posted by Geri Gentry on Nov 8th, 2026

Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,467,627 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,149 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.0% of Candriam S.C.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $214,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,334,000 after buying an additional 1,959,778 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $260,560,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $170.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 135,635 shares of company stock valued at $18,011,040. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $146.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $362.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.44, a PEG ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.24 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $146.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 3.64%. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.

Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.