Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,848 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,466 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $23,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $123.45 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $305.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage data: WELIREG® (belzutifan) + LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) cut risk of progression or death by ~30% vs cabozantinib in previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma — strengthens Merck’s portfolio and potential label/market expansion for belzutifan combos. WELIREG® (belzutifan) Plus LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) Reduced the Risk of Disease Progression or Death by 30% Compared to Cabozantinib in Certain Previously Treated Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
• Positive Sentiment: Adjuvant benefit: KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) + WELIREG® showed a ~28% reduction in risk of recurrence or death vs KEYTRUDA alone in certain earlier‑stage RCC patients — could broaden adjuvant use and support longer‑term Keytruda revenue. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus WELIREG® (belzutifan) Given as Adjuvant Therapy Reduced the Risk of Disease Recurrence or Death by 28% Compared to KEYTRUDA Monotherapy in Certain Patients With Earlier-Stage Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA combos show survival gains: Final KEYNOTE‑B96 analysis reported significant overall survival improvement for KEYTRUDA + paclitaxel (± bevacizumab) in platinum‑resistant recurrent ovarian cancer — strengthens case for additional approvals/uses. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Paclitaxel With or Without Bevacizumab Significantly Improved Key Secondary Endpoint of Overall Survival (OS) Versus Paclitaxel With or Without Bevacizumab in Patients With Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Neoadjuvant/adjuvant progress: KEYTRUDA + Padcev reduced event‑free survival events by 47% and deaths by 35% in cisplatin‑eligible muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — another high‑impact potential indication. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Padcev® (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) Reduced Risk of Event-Free Survival Events by 47% and Risk of Death by 35% for Cisplatin-Eligible Patients with Muscle-Invasive-Bladder-Cancer When-Given Before-and-After Surgery
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline collaborations: Synthekine is testing its IL‑2 candidate STK‑012 with Keytruda and chemo in PD‑L1 negative NSCLC — external partnerships expand combo opportunities for Keytruda. Synthekine Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration with Merck to Evaluate STK-012 In Combination with Keytruda® (Pembrolizumab) and Chemotherapy in Ongoing Randomized Phase 2 Trial in First-Line, PD-L1 Negative Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage support: Royal Bank of Canada began coverage and publicly said Merck could return to growth sooner than the market expects — can lift sentiment and estimates. RBC Capital Sees Merck (MRK) Returning to Growth Sooner Than Market Expects
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate restructure: Merck is reorganizing into Oncology and Specialty/Pharma & Infectious Diseases teams ahead of Keytruda’s patent cliff — strategic but execution and cost implications will determine investor reaction. Merck Reshapes Drug Business As Keytruda Era Nears Turning Point
• Negative Sentiment: Gardasil sales weakness: Merck notified layoffs of ~150 workers at a US Gardasil manufacturing site amid sluggish Gardasil sales — signals vaccine revenue pressure even as cost cuts are implemented. Merck to lay off around 150 employees at US site amid slump in Gardasil sales
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment cooling: Coverage notes Reddit trader enthusiasm has faded recently — a minor headwind to retail‑driven momentum but unlikely to change fundamentals. Merck Stock Jumps But Reddit Traders Are Getting Cold Feet

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.