Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 308,927 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,337 shares during the quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $25,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,407,000 after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after buying an additional 6,082 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,444,000 after buying an additional 18,187 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after buying an additional 7,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,168,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: Positive late‑stage clinical results across oncology and HIV programs — Phase 3 data for KEYTRUDA and WELIREG showed improved survival/expanded indications in kidney, ovarian and bladder cancer, and Merck highlighted progress on its DOR/ISL HIV program; these outcomes support revenue growth potential from high‑margin specialty drugs. Merck Trial Wins Shape Oncology And HIV Prospects For Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings and guidance remain supportive — Merck posted an EPS beat and set FY2026 guidance, which underpins expectations for profitability and cash generation that fund R&D, buybacks, and dividends. (Earnings referenced from Merck’s Feb results.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market reports note expanding markets for several of Merck’s products (neuroendocrine carcinoma, vaccines like Ervebo, M‑M‑R II, and fertility drug Elonva); these reports signal longer‑term TAM expansion but are not near‑term catalysts by themselves. Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Market Poised for Significant Growth Ervebo (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026 M-M-R II (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026 Elonva (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term price momentum: recent coverage noted MRK moving higher within the S&P 500 and outperforming the market on some sessions — useful context for market positioning but not a fundamental change. Merck & Co. Moves Higher Within S&P 500 Index Amid Gains Merck (MRK) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution on Winrevair — RBC flagged that Winrevair needs to show at least a 20‑meter improvement on the 6‑minute walk test to build confidence; failure to meet clinically meaningful thresholds could weigh on sentiment for that respiratory program. Merck’s Winrevair Must Show Walk Distance Improvement to Build Confidence, RBC Says

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

MRK opened at $116.21 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $114.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.26. The company has a market cap of $287.32 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.