Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Western Financial Corp CA

Western Financial Corp CA increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 531.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,512 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,043 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.6% of Western Financial Corp CA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Western Financial Corp CA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 8,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the period. Essex LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% during the third quarter. Essex LLC now owns 27,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,006,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the third quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,172,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 399.0% in the third quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC now owns 7,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,157,000 after acquiring an additional 6,296 shares during the period. Finally, Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 349.9% in the third quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 8,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,197,000 after acquiring an additional 6,407 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. HSBC increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Leerink Partners raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $147.47 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.83 billion, a PE ratio of 117.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda and pipeline catalysts support Q3 optimism. Continued Keytruda sales growth, expanded indications and newer launches could help Merck exceed third-quarter expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck’s Top Line in Q3 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology pipeline data is an important longer-term catalyst. Merck plans to present first-time pivotal Phase 3 results from three studies and more than 90 additional abstracts at ESMO 2026, potentially providing evidence of growth opportunities as Keytruda eventually faces biosimilar pressure. Merck ESMO 2026 Oncology Pipeline Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management sounded constructive on the Moderna cancer vaccine partnership. CEO Rob Davis said manufacturing of the personalized cancer vaccine should become faster and more efficient as Merck and Moderna refine the complex production process. Merck CEO Discusses Cancer Vaccine Manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners initiated or reiterated a Buy rating on Merck, adding favorable analyst sentiment. Merck Gets a Buy Rating from Leerink Partners

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.