Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Buys Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican-Florida) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on September 09th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on August 19th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “UBS IRA ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) on 8/24/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Chubb (NYSE:CB) on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 8/12/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) on 8/12/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 8/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 7/28/2026.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 7/28/2026.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $144.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 115.22, a PEG ratio of 6.30 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $136.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target for Merck (MRK) from $150 to $172 and maintained a “Buy” rating, implying substantial upside from the recent share price. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim also increased its Merck price target to $170, reinforcing the view that the company’s pipeline, newer medicines and potential cancer-drug combinations can support growth beyond Keytruda. Guggenheim increases Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its development pipeline and commercial portfolio to reduce reliance on Keytruda ahead of its 2028 patent and exclusivity challenges. This provides a longer-term growth narrative, although execution and successful launches remain important. Merck pipeline and new drugs
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s stock attracted significant investor attention, but the coverage offers limited new fundamental information. Separately, broader pharmaceutical discussion highlighted manufacturing hurdles for personalized cancer vaccines and risks surrounding confidential industry information. Merck and cancer-vaccine risks
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Merck’s valuation looks demanding relative to its growth rate and to faster-growing peers such as Eli Lilly. Those concerns, combined with the future Keytruda revenue gap, likely contributed to the recent weakness despite higher analyst targets. Merck valuation versus Eli Lilly

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Salazar

Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2021. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Salazar (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Maria Elvira Salazar was born in Miami, Florida, and lives in Coral Gables, Florida. Salazar earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami in 1983 and a graduate degree from Harvard University in 1995. Her career experience includes working as a television journalist, reporter, and news anchor.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck’s pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.