Corient Private Wealth LP Cuts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Corient Private Wealth LP lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.5% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,391,313 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36,963 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $307,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,537.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 484,720,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,286,552,000 after acquiring an additional 480,884,635 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,737,504,000 after acquiring an additional 1,859,990 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,307,572,000 after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $144.68 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $136.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.26. The company has a market cap of $356.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.75, a PEG ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: HSBC lifted its target from $150 to $172 and maintained a “buy” rating, while Guggenheim raised its target to $170. Leerink Partners also increased its target from $127 to $161 and assigned an “outperform” rating. These revisions indicate continued confidence in Merck’s earnings potential and pipeline. Guggenheim Increases Merck Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline strategy may help address Keytruda risks: Merck is pairing antibody-drug conjugates with Keytruda in women’s cancer treatments, an effort to expand its oncology franchise and offset the eventual impact of Keytruda’s patent cliff. Merck Pairs ADCs With Keytruda
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are reassessing Merck’s valuation: A comparison with Eli Lilly highlights that Merck is trading at a higher valuation despite its slower expected growth, prompting questions about whether its pipeline, cash generation and defensive characteristics justify the premium. Merck Stock Versus Eli Lilly
• Neutral Sentiment: Market attention remains elevated: Merck was among the stocks most watched by Zacks users, suggesting strong investor interest but not necessarily a change in fundamentals. Merck Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Shares declined with the broader market and underperformed during the session: The trading update provided no new company-specific catalyst, leaving valuation concerns and the Keytruda patent-cliff debate as the primary pressures on the stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. HSBC boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck’s pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.