32,677 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor LLC

Bahl & Gaynor LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 710,203 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,677 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $103,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,931,000 after purchasing an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 99,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,073,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,403,000 after purchasing an additional 227,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $794,577,000 after purchasing an additional 402,011 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Leerink Partners upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Freedom Broker increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide in patients with MASH and moderate-to-advanced liver fibrosis. The investigational drug could broaden Merck’s future growth opportunities, though it remains in clinical development. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Merck started a Phase 3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance and said the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer. Progress across these programs could support its pipeline, although neither development guarantees commercial success. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: A dividend-stock comparison notes that Merck and Gilead raised their 2026 sales outlooks after third-quarter results. It offers limited new company-specific information about MRK beyond that update. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported FDA approval of PIMJETMI (pimicotinib) concerns Merck KGaA, the Germany-based company—not Merck & Co. (MRK)—so it should not be treated as a direct catalyst for MRK. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary warns that 2027 growth could be pressured by generic competition, weaker vaccine demand and slowing Keytruda growth. Those risks may weigh on near-term expectations, even as Merck’s expanding pipeline offers longer-term potential. Article

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $148.00 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $87.26 and a one year high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $364.85 billion, a PE ratio of 152.57, a P/E/G ratio of 6.78 and a beta of 0.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $146.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine. Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co. became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.