TIAA Trust National Association Acquires 130,701 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

TIAA Trust National Association boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 88.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 278,658 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 130,701 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $29,332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $3,997,933,000. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $585,192,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $119.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $295.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Gilead reported positive Phase 3 results for their once-weekly HIV regimen islatravir/lenacapavir, meeting the primary efficacy endpoint in both studies and moving the program closer to regulatory filings. Article: Gilead and Merck Announce Positive Topline Results From Two Phase 3 Studies Evaluating Islatravir/Lenacapavir, an Oral Once-Weekly HIV Treatment
• Positive Sentiment: The HIV data could strengthen Merck’s long-term pipeline and add a potential new growth driver if the once-weekly treatment wins approval and commercialization proceeds as expected. Article: Gilead, Merck Report Positive Phase III HIV Study Data, End NSCLC Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also presented at the Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference, which typically reinforces management’s strategy and pipeline commentary but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article: Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with The Hashgraph Group on an EU digital product passport for regulated supply chains is strategically interesting, but it is unlikely to have a near-term material impact on earnings. Article: The Hashgraph Group and Merck Introduce EU Digital Product Passport on Hedera for Regulated Supply Chains
• Negative Sentiment: Merck and Gilead discontinued a Phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer study after it failed to show a statistically significant benefit, which removes one potential oncology catalyst and highlights clinical risk in the pipeline. Article: Merck and Gilead Provide Update on Phase 3 KEYNOTE-D46/EVOKE-03 Study
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters also reported Merck is exploring treatment options for a rare Ebola strain, which may reflect additional research effort but could carry uncertainty around development timing and commercial value. Article: Merck (MRK) Explores Treatment Options for Rare Ebola Strain, Reuters Reports

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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.