Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 24,873,327 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 805,201 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,618,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.9% in the third quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 347,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,181,000 after purchasing an additional 99,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $1,866,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and partner Sichuan Kelun-Biotech reported encouraging late-stage lung cancer data for a Keytruda combination, with the treatment beating Keytruda alone and improving confidence in Merck’s cancer pipeline. Kelun, Merck’s lung cancer combo improves survival in late-stage China trial
• Positive Sentiment: The European Medicines Agency’s CHMP issued a positive opinion for Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for certain bladder cancer patients, which could expand the drug pair’s commercial reach if formally approved. Merck Receives Positive EU CHMP Opinion for KEYTRUDA Plus Padcev
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted positive EU recommendations and trial momentum across Merck’s oncology portfolio, suggesting the company is building new growth drivers ahead of future Keytruda patent pressure. Merck stock jumps as Keytruda combo trials boost cancer pipeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted Gardasil sales remain weak due to soft demand in China and other markets, which is a reminder that Merck still has headwinds outside oncology. Will Weak Gardasil Sales Continue to Ail MRK’s Vaccines Sales in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s recent run-up also reflects broader investor optimism after strong quarterly results and improving sentiment around its pipeline, rather than a single one-day event. Merck Stock Climbs on Cancer Data. Why the Drugmaker Is More Than a One-Trick Pony.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $122.55 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.40 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $302.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.