Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 11,515 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 38.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,735 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,515 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Abound Wealth Management raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the third quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 11,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. This represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “Outperform” rating and a $142 price target on MRK, implying material upside from current levels and signaling continued analyst confidence. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Merck entered an antibody-discovery collaboration with Infinimmune that could pay up to ~$838 million in milestones — broadening Merck’s immuno-oncology/antibody pipeline at relatively low upfront risk. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage data show Merck’s oral cholesterol drug reduced “bad” cholesterol by ~64.6%, strengthening prospects for a new cardiovascular product and potential commercial upside outside oncology. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s $6.7B acquisition of Terns (highlighted by MarketBeat) is being positioned as a significant oncology growth engine, which supports longer‑term revenue diversification and margin resilience. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
• Neutral Sentiment: Market headlines note MRK has risen recently but still underperforms the broader market on some sessions — suggesting investor enthusiasm is present but uneven versus cyclical leaders. Merck & Co. Inc. stock rises Tuesday, still underperforms market
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays included Merck among defensive picks to weather market uncertainty, which may support demand from risk‑averse institutional buyers but is not an active earnings catalyst. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term volatility remains: some sessions showed MRK dipping more than the broader market, indicating profit‑taking or sensitivity to macro swings despite positive company news. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $120.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $297.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $117.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

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.