Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 21.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,954 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,814 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after acquiring an additional 13,285 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $116.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $287.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $116.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck agreed to buy Terns Pharmaceuticals for $53.00 per share in cash, valuing the deal at roughly $6.7 billion (about $5.7B net of cash). The acquisition adds TERN-701, an oral allosteric BCR::ABL1 inhibitor in Phase 1/2 for CML, bolstering Merck’s oncology pipeline as Keytruda faces patent pressure. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Expanding Its Hematology Pipeline With TERN-701, a Novel Candidate for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
• Positive Sentiment: Wider media coverage (Reuters/WSJ/Bloomberg) frames the Terns deal as a strategic bolt-on to mitigate Keytruda patent erosion — positive for long-term revenue visibility if development succeeds. This narrative is supporting investor appetite. Merck boosts cancer portfolio with $6.7 billion buyout of Terns Pharma
• Positive Sentiment: Broker movement: Citi raised its price target on MRK to $125 from $120 (while keeping a Neutral rating), which can support the stock’s near-term tone. Citi Raises its Price Target on Merck & Co. (MRK) to $125 from $120
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year research collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics to find IBD drug targets using somatic genomics (deal includes upfront payment and milestone potential). This expands R&D optionality but is early-stage and will take time to move the needle. Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck to Discover Novel Drug Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Somatic Genomics Platform Technology
• Negative Sentiment: Key risk remains: Keytruda’s looming patent losses continue to pressure Merck’s growth outlook. The Terns buy addresses pipeline gaps but increases near‑term deal spend and execution risk; investors will watch integration, trial readouts, and capital allocation closely. Merck Reaches Nearly $6 Billion Deal for Cancer Biotech Terns

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.