Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Sold by Salem Investment Counselors Inc.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 166,272 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,058 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,210,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,462,000 after purchasing an additional 2,783,482 shares during the last quarter. Employees Provident Fund Board purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $254,206,000. Finally, Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,130.3% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,068,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,806,000 after buying an additional 2,051,475 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $141.97 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $350.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.58, a PEG ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 0.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $144.52 and a 200 day moving average of $128.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. 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 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck will present first-time results from three pivotal Phase 3 oncology trials at the ESMO 2026 congress, alongside more than 90 additional abstracts covering over 20 tumor types. The disclosures could provide investors with evidence of pipeline progress and support long-term growth beyond the company’s existing portfolio. Merck ESMO 2026 announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target for MRK to $145 from $125, although it maintained a neutral rating. The higher target reflects some improvement in the firm’s valuation view, even as the limited implied upside signals caution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck appointed Paul J. Diaz to its board of directors. The appointment adds healthcare-management experience but is unlikely to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Paul J. Diaz elected to Merck board
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck is scheduled to report third-quarter results in about two weeks. Analysts expect single-digit EPS growth, making the report and management’s guidance important catalysts for the stock. Merck upcoming earnings expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak-sales forecast for remigromig by 60% after trial details showed smaller numerical vision improvements than an established competitor and raised safety concerns. Although the drug met the statistical non-inferiority threshold, the reduced commercial opportunity weighs on Merck’s growth outlook. Jefferies remigromig sales forecast cut
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group modestly lowered its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, reinforcing caution around Merck’s earnings trajectory. The stock’s decline during the session appears consistent with investors focusing on these forecast reductions and remigromig concerns despite the positive oncology pipeline news.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.