Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Pinkerton Wealth LLC

Pinkerton Wealth LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 60,628 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,637 shares during the period. Pinkerton Wealth LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck exercised an option on Evaxion’s EVX‑B3 infectious disease vaccine program — a sign of active pipeline expansion and BD activity that can add future revenue potential. Evaxion (EVAX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Merck expanded a multi‑year collaboration with Tempus AI on oncology and drug discovery tools — this reinforces R&D capability and could accelerate discovery programs. Assessing Tempus AI (TEM) Valuation After Expanded Merck Collaboration Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Market research on Pneumovax 23 highlights expanding adult/geriatric immunization demand and distribution improvements — potential tailwinds for Merck’s vaccine franchise over the medium term. Pneumovax 23 (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline market move note — outlets flagged MRK trading above the prior close, reflecting today’s mixed news flow and investor repositioning. Merck (MRK) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/reporting items: analyses and Dow pieces compare Merck with peers and flag sector shifts — useful context but not single‑handedly market moving for MRK. 2 Dow Jones Stocks to Research Further and 1 Facing Headwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Factbox: drugmakers are increasing U.S. manufacturing and inventory ahead of potential tariffs — could protect supply but may raise near‑term capex and inventory costs. Factbox-Global drugmakers rush to boost US presence as tariff threat looms
• Negative Sentiment: Big headwind: Gardasil sales plunged ~39% in 2025 (weak demand in China) and management does not expect a rebound in 2026 — a meaningful near‑term drag on Merck’s vaccine revenues and top‑line growth. Will Weak Gardasil Sales Continue to Weigh on MRK’s Top Line in 2026?

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $117.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $289.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. 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. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

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

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.