Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Raises Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 16.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 190,425 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,639 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $15,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the second quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 63,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,045,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $263,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 53.0% during the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 60,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,764,000 after buying an additional 20,838 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $117.12 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.09, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $122.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~14.6% in January to ~28.7M shares (≈1.2% of float), lowering short‑pressure and reducing the odds of a short‑squeeze‑driven reversal. (Data: Jan. 30 short interest)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research argues Merck’s recent rally isn’t excess — analysts highlight extended Keytruda exclusivity, QLEX migration and pipeline/BD upside as durable revenue drivers. This supports longer‑term upside expectations. Merck: A Buy For 2026, But The Clock Is Still Ticking
• Positive Sentiment: Merck entered a strategic collaboration with Calla Lily Clinical Care to advance an intravaginal drug‑delivery platform (Callavid®), expanding non‑oncology device/partnered opportunities that could augment future topline or BD interest. Calla Lily Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck reaffirmed solid fundamentals: recent quarter beat estimates, announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend March 16) and provided FY‑2026 EPS guidance. These support income/long‑term holders but may be largely priced in near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Large, high‑visibility insider sale: EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.5M) at ≈$119.15 and materially reduced her stake — a prominent executive sale that can spook short‑term traders. Form 4 — Jennifer Zachary
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider sales: CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares (~$1.18M) and other senior executives (including the CFO and another EVP) disclosed multi‑million dollar sales, amplifying negative sentiment from leadership selling. Form 4 — Chirfi Guindo CFO Sale Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary and at least one downgrade flag a near‑term balancing act — caution about valuation after a strong run and nearer‑term catalysts keeps trading volatility elevated. Balancing Act Article

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.