Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Sells 132,888 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,679,664 shares of the company’s stock after selling 132,888 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $202,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.72.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced FDA approval for Keytruda and Keytruda Qlex, each combined with Gilead’s Trodelvy, as a first-line treatment for PD-L1+ advanced triple-negative breast cancer, expanding a major revenue-driving franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also won EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev in resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients who cannot receive cisplatin chemotherapy, another label expansion that could support future sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Gilead continues to generate attention after positive HIV trial results, helping reinforce confidence in the company’s research pipeline and strategic partnerships. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck was highlighted in CNBC’s “Final Trades,” which reflects ongoing market attention but does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that MRK is a trending stock, suggesting elevated investor interest rather than a specific new operating development. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE:MRK opened at $128.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $128.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $316.99 billion, a PE ratio of 36.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.