Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Position Trimmed by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 21.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,954 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,814 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of 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 second quarter worth approximately $2,858,570,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 5,094,088 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 192.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,496,664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $461,335,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618,532 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,363,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,941 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck agreed to buy Terns Pharmaceuticals for $53.00 per share in cash, valuing the deal at roughly $6.7 billion (about $5.7B net of cash). The acquisition adds TERN-701, an oral allosteric BCR::ABL1 inhibitor in Phase 1/2 for CML, bolstering Merck’s oncology pipeline as Keytruda faces patent pressure. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Expanding Its Hematology Pipeline With TERN-701, a Novel Candidate for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
• Positive Sentiment: Wider media coverage (Reuters/WSJ/Bloomberg) frames the Terns deal as a strategic bolt-on to mitigate Keytruda patent erosion — positive for long-term revenue visibility if development succeeds. This narrative is supporting investor appetite. Merck boosts cancer portfolio with $6.7 billion buyout of Terns Pharma
• Positive Sentiment: Broker movement: Citi raised its price target on MRK to $125 from $120 (while keeping a Neutral rating), which can support the stock’s near-term tone. Citi Raises its Price Target on Merck & Co. (MRK) to $125 from $120
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year research collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics to find IBD drug targets using somatic genomics (deal includes upfront payment and milestone potential). This expands R&D optionality but is early-stage and will take time to move the needle. Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck to Discover Novel Drug Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Somatic Genomics Platform Technology
• Negative Sentiment: Key risk remains: Keytruda’s looming patent losses continue to pressure Merck’s growth outlook. The Terns buy addresses pipeline gaps but increases near‑term deal spend and execution risk; investors will watch integration, trial readouts, and capital allocation closely. Merck Reaches Nearly $6 Billion Deal for Cancer Biotech Terns

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $116.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $287.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $116.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s 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 expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.