Rep. Julie Johnson Sells Off Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on December 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on November 13th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “CHASE BROKERAGE ACCOUNT (3935)” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 11/13/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $100.76 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $93.06 and its 200-day moving average is $85.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $250.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $105.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $17.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.13.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% during the third quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 3,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 9,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $783,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Point Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 14,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.