Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) VP Dean Li Sells 15,087 Shares

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) VP Dean Li sold 15,087 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.77, for a total transaction of $1,791,882.99. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 102,270 shares in the company, valued at $12,146,607.90. This represents a 12.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK traded up $2.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $121.92. 13,080,359 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,211,604. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.85. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $122.66. The company has a market capitalization of $302.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.53.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 20,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,189,000 after buying an additional 1,652 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 28,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,049,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 82,266 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,659,000 after buying an additional 6,354 shares during the period. Finally, Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,332,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates (EPS and revenue) and management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $5.00–$5.15 while citing growth drivers such as Keytruda, Animal Health and new drug launches — a near-term earnings beat that supports upside. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target from $122 to $140 and kept a Buy rating, giving analysts’ support to the rally and indicating ~15% further upside from recent levels. Guggenheim PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Other broker notes are bullish — Citigroup and Scotiabank published favorable outlooks/target increases highlighting execution and price appreciation potential. Citigroup Forecast Scotiabank Lift
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flags a “subdued” 2026 outlook driven by acquisition-related charges, which mutes the beat; but it still points to Keytruda, Animal Health and new launches as the primary growth levers — a mixed read on near-term margin/earnings progression. Zacks Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Robert M. Davis sold ~47,434 shares, CFO Caroline Litchfield ~41,997 shares, EVP Richard Deluca ~37,685 shares, CMO Chirfi Guindo ~20,000 and multiple other senior executives also trimmed positions — large, coordinated filings that may weigh on sentiment despite corporate explanations (e.g., diversification or tax/planned sales). SEC filings: CEO Form 4 CFO Form 4 EVP Form 4

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.