Hohimer Wealth Management LLC Purchases 9,170 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 19.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,579 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,170 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. DLD Asset Management LP bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after buying an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,540,145,000 after buying an additional 5,094,088 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage with an “outperform”/”moderate buy” and a $142 price target, highlighting analyst conviction and potential upside for MRK. Royal Bank of Canada Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced late‑breaking Phase 3 data for the doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) two‑drug HIV regimen and is in FDA review; trial results matched an established competitor (Biktarvy), supporting a potential new HIV franchise as Keytruda faces patent pressure. DOR/ISL Phase 3 Data (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Merck Animal Health received FDA approval for NUMELVI (atinvicitinib) for control of pruritus in dogs — a product approval that diversifies revenue and strengthens the veterinary business. NUMELVI FDA Approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and research pieces (Zacks, ResearchAndMarkets profile) are increasing visibility and may attract more institutional interest, but they are informational rather than immediate price catalysts. Zacks Trending Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting retirees shifting into dividend funds could help demand for large dividend-paying pharma names like MRK over time, but this is a gradual flow rather than an immediate driver. Dividend Funds Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit has cooled sharply (reported drop from bullish 63 to neutral 43), suggesting some short-term retail profit‑taking and weaker buyer interest despite the positive news flow. Reddit Sentiment Cooling

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $119.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $294.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.97. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.