Retirement Systems of Alabama reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 528,014 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,808 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $55,579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,013,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,980,084,000 after acquiring an additional 567,900 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,733,923,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156,112 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,540,145,000 after purchasing an additional 5,094,088 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Check Out Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage cholesterol pill delivered large LDL cuts (≈64.6%) and met its head‑to‑head primary endpoint — a potential new blockbuster oral option for lowering “bad” cholesterol that could materially diversify revenue beyond oncology. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
- Positive Sentiment: Phase 2 CADENCE results for WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk) showed proof‑of‑concept in combined post‑ and precapillary pulmonary hypertension with HFpEF — opens a foothold in a hard heart‑failure segment and supports pipeline value. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
- Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” and a $142 price target — a sizable upside vs. current levels that can support investor confidence and buying interest. Benzinga coverage
- Neutral Sentiment: Retail and media attention (e.g., Jim Cramer’s “stay the course” call) has driven momentum into Merck stock over recent months; that attention can amplify swings but is not a fundamental catalyst. Merck (MRK) Shares Up Significantly Since Jim Cramer Advised to “Stay the Course”
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports list Merck as a major player in the growing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma market — underscores long‑term TAM but not an immediate stock driver. Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) Market Rises to $8.33 Billion
- Neutral Sentiment: New FY2026 earnings estimates and coverage updates are circulating (Erste Group Bank note) — watch revisions for guidance confirmation versus management’s FY2026 EPS range. FY2026 Earnings Estimate for MRK Issued By Erste Group Bank
- Negative Sentiment: Analysis flags an upcoming Keytruda patent cliff and Merck’s aggressive M&A push to refill the revenue gap — a strategic risk that could pressure sentiment if deal execution or integration falls short. Merck: Aggressive M&A Efforts To Prepare For A Keytruda Patent Cliff
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of MRK stock opened at $117.99 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $291.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $102.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.
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.
See Also
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