Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock: VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Lowers Stake

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 36.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 396,338 shares of the company’s stock after selling 222,800 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $57,592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of MRK opened at $149.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $369.46 billion, a PE ratio of 154.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.90 and a 200 day moving average of $126.69. 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.80 EPS for the current year.

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.