OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd Sells 20,168 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,961 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,168 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. DLD Asset Management LP raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,733,923,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156,112 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,735,459 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,945,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,600,000 after acquiring an additional 209,759 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approves IDVYNSO (doravirine/islatravir), a once‑daily two‑drug HIV single‑tablet regimen for virologically suppressed adults — adds a new, potentially valuable HIV product to Merck’s commercial portfolio. FDA Approves Merck’s Once-Daily IDVYNSO™ (doravirine/islatravir)
• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants priority review to supplemental BLAs for KEYTRUDA (and KEYTRUDA QLEX) in combination with Padcev for cisplatin‑eligible muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a regulatory fast track that could meaningfully expand Keytruda’s labeled uses if approved. FDA Grants Priority Review for KEYTRUDA® … with Padcev®
• Positive Sentiment: EU approves ENFLONSIA for infant RSV protection — another vaccine/antibody approval that broadens Merck’s preventive‑care offerings and potential pediatric revenue streams. Merck Wins EU Approval for ENFLONSIA to Protect Infants from RSV
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck launched a portfolio of bio‑based HPLC solvents (sustainability / product‑line extension) — small commercial impact but supportive of ESG/industrial positioning. Merck Launches First Bio-Based Solvent Portfolio for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: Merck/Eisai combination therapy in advanced renal cell carcinoma failed to meet primary endpoints in a late‑stage study — a significant clinical setback that likely prompted today’s selling pressure and raises questions about near‑term oncology growth assumptions. Merck-Eisai’s combination cancer therapy fails to meet main goals of late-stage study
• Negative Sentiment: Corporate update on the Phase 3 LITESPARK‑012 trial (Merck/Eisai) accompanies the failure, reinforcing the clinical disappointment and near‑term uncertainty for that program. Merck and Eisai Provide Update on Phase 3 LITESPARK-012 Trial

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $112.63 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.18 billion, a PE ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $119.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.48.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’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. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.47.

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.