Moran Wealth Management LLC Sells 8,074 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Moran Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 212,218 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,074 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.7% of Moran Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $27,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares during the period. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 11,355 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,022,000 after purchasing an additional 320,143 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,999,000 after purchasing an additional 224,752 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% during the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,255,000 after purchasing an additional 567,249 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported that their personalized cancer therapy met key Phase 3 goals, improving recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival for high-risk melanoma patients when added to Keytruda. The result is the first major late-stage win for an mRNA cancer vaccine and strengthens the potential for regulatory approval and broader oncology applications. MRK/MRNA’s Personalized Cancer Therapy Delivers First Phase III Win
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their outlooks for MRK: Goldman Sachs increased its price target to $160 and kept a Buy rating, while BMO raised its target to $170 and UBS lifted its target to $175. Morgan Stanley also upgraded the shares to Overweight with a $179 target after the cancer-trial success.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see Merck’s newer products, acquired assets and pipeline programs as a potential growth cushion against Keytruda’s eventual patent expiration. The company’s expanding portfolio could help diversify revenue beyond its flagship drug. Can Merck’s New Drugs Offer Growth Cushion Ahead of Keytruda LOE?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened investor interest and potential volatility, but it does not by itself establish the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets downgraded Merck to Sector Perform and set a $150 target, arguing that execution risks and the 2028 Keytruda loss of exclusivity are being underestimated. RBC said near-term catalysts are attractive, but the stock’s valuation leaves limited room for additional gains. Merck upgraded at Morgan Stanley after cancer trial win; RBC downgrades
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies separately moved Merck from Strong Buy to Hold. The central concern is that the shares have already rallied substantially on the trial news, making the current valuation appear demanding relative to the remaining patent and execution risks.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Scotiabank increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $152.43 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $128.09 and a 200 day moving average of $121.29. The stock has a market cap of $376.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.94, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $154.49.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.

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.