Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Highline Wealth Partners LLC

Posted by Jessica Moore on Apr 1st, 2026

Highline Wealth Partners LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 92.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 768 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,905 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $81,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Community Financial Services Group LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 29,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,115,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 711,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,434,000 after acquiring an additional 27,207 shares during the period. Santori & Peters Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $247,000. Finally, Meyer Handelman Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 378,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,818,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. 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: Merck struck an R&D collaboration with Infinimmune to discover multiple human antibodies, a deal worth up to about $838 million in milestones — expands discovery engine with low upfront risk and broadens immunology/oncology pipeline. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage results: Merck reported an oral cholesterol drug reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol by ~64.6% in a Phase 3 trial — a potential next blockbuster and revenue driver if approved. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
Positive Sentiment: Clinical pipeline wins beyond cholesterol: coverage of WINREVAIR Phase 2 success in a tough heart‑failure segment highlights additional mid‑stage upside and may support expectations for future label expansions. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142 price target, signaling analyst confidence in upside and reinforcing buy interest. Benzinga
Positive Sentiment: M&A and portfolio building: Merck’s earlier ~$6.7B Terns acquisition and other strategic bets strengthen the oncology/precision‑medicine growth story and support longer‑term revenue visibility. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
Neutral Sentiment: Macro positioning: Barclays listed Merck among defensive stocks to consider amid market volatility — may attract safe‑haven flows but is a structural view rather than an immediate catalyst. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
Neutral Sentiment: Sector fund flows: Blackstone closed a record $6.3B life‑sciences fund, positive for biotech/medtech deal activity broadly but not an immediate company‑specific driver. Blackstone closes largest ever private funding investment round at $6.3bn
Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness and recent pullbacks: Merck shares dipped with the broader market correction recently, creating near‑term volatility and profit‑taking risk despite company‑specific positives. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $120.26 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $117.04 and its 200-day moving average is $102.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $297.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted 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, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.13.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

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.