9,102 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 73.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,523 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,102 shares during the quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,546,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,691,000 after purchasing an additional 701,249 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.5%

MRK traded down $2.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $143.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,787,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,600,905. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.01 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. 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 stock has a market cap of $353.37 billion, a PE ratio of 114.62, a P/E/G ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.21. The business’s 50-day moving average is $144.25 and its 200-day moving average is $128.57.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck will present first-time results from three pivotal Phase 3 oncology trials at the ESMO 2026 Congress, alongside more than 90 additional abstracts covering over 20 tumor types. The event could provide visibility into the company’s pipeline and help support confidence in future growth. Merck ESMO 2026 announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports point to continued expansion in bioprocessing, cell culture, protein labeling and bioconjugation markets—areas in which Merck’s life-science business participates. These reports suggest a favorable long-term demand backdrop, although they do not represent new company-specific guidance. Global cell culture market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $145 while maintaining a neutral rating, indicating limited near-term upside at the cited valuation. Royal Bank of Canada lowered its target to $145 and kept a sector-perform rating, reflecting a more cautious outlook. Analyst price target updates
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak sales forecast for remigromig by 60% after detailed diabetic macular edema data showed the drug was statistically non-inferior to Lucentis but delivered smaller numerical vision improvements and raised safety concerns. The downgrade increases doubts about the drug’s commercial potential. Jefferies remigromig sales forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.73 from $2.75 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.47 from $9.52. While the cuts are small, they add to near-term earnings caution. Merck analyst earnings estimates

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. 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 report on Tuesday, September 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.