Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock: Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC Raises Holdings

Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 349.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,238 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,407 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 8,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,284,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. N10 Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. N10 Wealth LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $202,000. WestHill Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $210,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.1% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 74,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,810,000 after acquiring an additional 10,339 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners issued a “Buy” rating on Merck, providing a positive Wall Street signal and potentially reinforcing confidence in the company’s valuation and pipeline. Merck & Company Gets a Buy from Leerink Partners
• 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 breadth of the data could highlight the company’s pipeline and support longer-term growth expectations. Merck Showcases Phase 3 Results at ESMO 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck appointed Paul J. Diaz to its board of directors. The addition brings leadership experience but is not expected to materially change near-term earnings or operations. Paul J. Diaz Elected to Merck’s Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s third-quarter earnings report is due in the next few weeks. Analysts expect single-digit EPS growth, making the report and management’s outlook important near-term catalysts. What to Expect From Merck’s Next Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent session saw MRK underperform the broader market, reflecting short-term trading pressure rather than a new fundamental development. Separately, Citigroup raised its price target to $145 but maintained a Neutral rating, implying limited upside at that target.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak-sales forecast for experimental eye drug remigromig by 60% after trial results showed non-inferior efficacy but smaller numerical vision improvements and safety or competitiveness concerns versus established treatment Lucentis. Jefferies Cuts Remigromig Sales Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, signaling slightly lower expectations for Merck’s future profitability.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $5.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $147.38. The company had a trading volume of 3,573,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,592,198. The stock has a market capitalization of $363.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 0.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $144.52 and its 200-day moving average is $128.73. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.