5,235 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC

Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,895 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,235 shares during the period. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $1,012,530,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,210,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,462,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Employees Provident Fund Board purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $254,206,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $2.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $141.75. 3,687,981 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,672,879. The firm has a market capitalization of $349.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $142.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.57. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.36.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.