Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Decreased by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 222,533 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,514 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $32,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Graney & King LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.4%

MRK traded down $1.99 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $145.25. The company had a trading volume of 8,379,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,663,986. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $358.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.20, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $146.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.17.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for the personalized melanoma vaccine, intismeran, combined with Keytruda. The treatment reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% and also improved distant metastasis-free survival, supporting the long-term potential of the partnership’s oncology pipeline. Doctors call Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine data a major advancement
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, regardless of patients’ cisplatin eligibility. The broader label expands the addressable market and represents the EU’s first approval of a PD-1 inhibitor combined with an antibody-drug conjugate in this setting. Merck wins EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite strong clinical results, the vaccine announcement triggered a “sell-the-news” reaction. The data largely met elevated Wall Street expectations after an earlier leak, limiting the immediate upside for MRK even though oncologists viewed the results as an important treatment advance. Merck and Moderna shares fall on cancer vaccine results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about valuation and Merck’s future revenue concentration in Keytruda ahead of its patent cliff. Analysts have also characterized the recent rally as leaving limited margin of safety, increasing the risk of profit-taking when news is merely in line with expectations. Merck rally leaves little margin of safety
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.63 from $2.73 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.38 from $9.47. Separate previews also anticipate a year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings, adding near-term pressure to the shares. Merck earnings preview

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.