Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Sax Wealth Advisors LLC

Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,436 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,674 shares during the quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Round Rock Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $2.33 on Tuesday, hitting $143.12. The company had a trading volume of 2,787,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,600,905. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $144.25 and a 200 day moving average of $128.57. The company has a market cap of $353.10 billion, a PE ratio of 114.62, a PEG ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck will present first-time results from three pivotal Phase 3 oncology trials at the ESMO 2026 Congress, alongside more than 90 additional abstracts covering over 20 tumor types. The event could provide visibility into the company’s pipeline and help support confidence in future growth. Merck ESMO 2026 announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports point to continued expansion in bioprocessing, cell culture, protein labeling and bioconjugation markets—areas in which Merck’s life-science business participates. These reports suggest a favorable long-term demand backdrop, although they do not represent new company-specific guidance. Global cell culture market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $145 while maintaining a neutral rating, indicating limited near-term upside at the cited valuation. Royal Bank of Canada lowered its target to $145 and kept a sector-perform rating, reflecting a more cautious outlook. Analyst price target updates
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak sales forecast for remigromig by 60% after detailed diabetic macular edema data showed the drug was statistically non-inferior to Lucentis but delivered smaller numerical vision improvements and raised safety concerns. The downgrade increases doubts about the drug’s commercial potential. Jefferies remigromig sales forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.73 from $2.75 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.47 from $9.52. While the cuts are small, they add to near-term earnings caution. Merck analyst earnings estimates

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.