Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Holdings Lifted by Sax Wealth Advisors LLC

Sax Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 39.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,436 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,674 shares during the quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,583 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,546,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,691,000 after purchasing an additional 701,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $2.33 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $143.12. The company had a trading volume of 2,787,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,600,905. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $353.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.01 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.57.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Argus increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck will present first-time results from three pivotal Phase 3 oncology trials at the ESMO 2026 Congress, alongside more than 90 additional abstracts covering over 20 tumor types. The event could provide visibility into the company’s pipeline and help support confidence in future growth. Merck ESMO 2026 announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports point to continued expansion in bioprocessing, cell culture, protein labeling and bioconjugation markets—areas in which Merck’s life-science business participates. These reports suggest a favorable long-term demand backdrop, although they do not represent new company-specific guidance. Global cell culture market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $145 while maintaining a neutral rating, indicating limited near-term upside at the cited valuation. Royal Bank of Canada lowered its target to $145 and kept a sector-perform rating, reflecting a more cautious outlook. Analyst price target updates
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak sales forecast for remigromig by 60% after detailed diabetic macular edema data showed the drug was statistically non-inferior to Lucentis but delivered smaller numerical vision improvements and raised safety concerns. The downgrade increases doubts about the drug’s commercial potential. Jefferies remigromig sales forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.73 from $2.75 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.47 from $9.52. While the cuts are small, they add to near-term earnings caution. Merck analyst earnings estimates

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.