Nvwm LLC Acquires 31,854 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Nvwm LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2,930.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 32,941 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,854 shares during the quarter. Nvwm LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after buying an additional 13,285 shares during the last quarter. First Pacific Financial increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after buying an additional 6,082 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after acquiring an additional 18,187 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after acquiring an additional 7,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,364,000 after acquiring an additional 13,940 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: EU approval expands KEYTRUDA use to PD‑L1 positive, platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer — opens a new commercial indication in Europe for an established franchise, which can drive incremental revenue and utilization in a high‑unmet‑need setting. Merck Broadens Cancer And Eye Disease Pipeline As Investors Weigh Future Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial of MK‑8748 (Tiespectus) for wet AMD — a promising ophthalmology program that, if successful, adds a non‑oncology growth vector and diversifies long‑term revenue streams. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial Evaluating MK-8748 (Tiespectus)
• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 CORALreef results for oral PCSK9 inhibitor (enlicitide decanoate) — if approved, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in cardiovascular prevention and complement existing lipid therapies. Merck (MRK) Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data for WINREVAIR released — adds evidence to a respiratory program that management can highlight to investors as part of a broader R&D pipeline story. Merck & Co. (MRK) Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA acquisition of JSR chromatography business noted in the press — this concerns Merck KGaA (a different company) and is unlikely to meaningfully affect Merck & Co.’s (MRK) near‑term fundamentals. Merck KGaA acquires JSR chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: New proposal from former President Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on imported medicines (with carve‑outs) increases regulatory and pricing uncertainty for the sector; even with exemptions, the proposal raises near‑term headline risk and could pressure sentiment toward large pharma names like MRK until policy clarity emerges. Trump Unveils Up to 100% Tariffs on Imported Medicines With Key Exemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Sector policy debate over drug‑pricing deals continues (Lilly warns against locking pricing deals into law) — ongoing political scrutiny increases the chance of policy actions that could cap pricing or change reimbursement, a headwind for long‑term margin visibility. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $120.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $298.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The business’s 50-day moving average is $117.72 and its 200 day moving average is $103.23.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

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.