37,095 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Bought by VMS Asset Management Limited

VMS Asset Management Limited acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 37,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,390,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 2.1% of VMS Asset Management Limited’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $3,516,000. Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 8,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the period. Ashurst Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ashurst Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 3,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 28,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.4% during the third quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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 on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Leerink Partners upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $147.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $144.91 and a 200-day moving average of $128.93. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $363.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.97, a P/E/G ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda and pipeline catalysts support Q3 optimism. Continued Keytruda sales growth, expanded indications and newer launches could help Merck exceed third-quarter expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck’s Top Line in Q3 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology pipeline data is an important longer-term catalyst. Merck plans to present first-time pivotal Phase 3 results from three studies and more than 90 additional abstracts at ESMO 2026, potentially providing evidence of growth opportunities as Keytruda eventually faces biosimilar pressure. Merck ESMO 2026 Oncology Pipeline Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management sounded constructive on the Moderna cancer vaccine partnership. CEO Rob Davis said manufacturing of the personalized cancer vaccine should become faster and more efficient as Merck and Moderna refine the complex production process. Merck CEO Discusses Cancer Vaccine Manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners initiated or reiterated a Buy rating on Merck, adding favorable analyst sentiment. Merck Gets a Buy Rating from Leerink Partners

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.