Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) VP Dean Li Sells 15,087 Shares

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) VP Dean Li sold 15,087 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.77, for a total transaction of $1,791,882.99. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 102,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,146,607.90. This trade represents a 12.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE:MRK traded up $2.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $121.92. 13,080,359 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,211,604. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $122.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average of $106.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.85. The company has a market capitalization of $302.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.53.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 20,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,189,000 after buying an additional 1,652 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 28,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,049,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 82,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,659,000 after acquiring an additional 6,354 shares during the period. Finally, Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,332,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates (EPS and revenue) and management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $5.00–$5.15 while citing growth drivers such as Keytruda, Animal Health and new drug launches — a near-term earnings beat that supports upside. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target from $122 to $140 and kept a Buy rating, giving analysts’ support to the rally and indicating ~15% further upside from recent levels. Guggenheim PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Other broker notes are bullish — Citigroup and Scotiabank published favorable outlooks/target increases highlighting execution and price appreciation potential. Citigroup Forecast Scotiabank Lift
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flags a “subdued” 2026 outlook driven by acquisition-related charges, which mutes the beat; but it still points to Keytruda, Animal Health and new launches as the primary growth levers — a mixed read on near-term margin/earnings progression. Zacks Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Robert M. Davis sold ~47,434 shares, CFO Caroline Litchfield ~41,997 shares, EVP Richard Deluca ~37,685 shares, CMO Chirfi Guindo ~20,000 and multiple other senior executives also trimmed positions — large, coordinated filings that may weigh on sentiment despite corporate explanations (e.g., diversification or tax/planned sales). SEC filings: CEO Form 4 CFO Form 4 EVP Form 4

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.