6,407 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC

Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 349.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,238 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,407 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,197,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Graney & King LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of MRK stock traded up $5.40 on Wednesday, reaching $147.38. 3,573,572 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,592,198. The stock has a market capitalization of $363.60 billion, a PE ratio of 117.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.73.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Leerink Partners upped their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners issued a “Buy” rating on Merck, providing a positive Wall Street signal and potentially reinforcing confidence in the company’s valuation and pipeline. Merck & Company Gets a Buy from Leerink Partners
• 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 breadth of the data could highlight the company’s pipeline and support longer-term growth expectations. Merck Showcases Phase 3 Results at ESMO 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck appointed Paul J. Diaz to its board of directors. The addition brings leadership experience but is not expected to materially change near-term earnings or operations. Paul J. Diaz Elected to Merck’s Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s third-quarter earnings report is due in the next few weeks. Analysts expect single-digit EPS growth, making the report and management’s outlook important near-term catalysts. What to Expect From Merck’s Next Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent session saw MRK underperform the broader market, reflecting short-term trading pressure rather than a new fundamental development. Separately, Citigroup raised its price target to $145 but maintained a Neutral rating, implying limited upside at that target.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak-sales forecast for experimental eye drug remigromig by 60% after trial results showed non-inferior efficacy but smaller numerical vision improvements and safety or competitiveness concerns versus established treatment Lucentis. Jefferies Cuts Remigromig Sales Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, signaling slightly lower expectations for Merck’s future profitability.

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.