EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 33.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,032 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,830 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,733,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,590,000 after buying an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $150 from $140 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 15% upside from the referenced price. The increase reflects continued confidence in Merck’s outlook. Barclays raises Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA met its primary progression-free-survival endpoint in a Phase 3 trial for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, outperforming platinum-based chemotherapy. Merck said the result could support future regulatory filings and strengthen its oncology pipeline. Merck KEYTRUDA endometrial cancer trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced its fourth-quarter 2026 dividend, reinforcing the stock’s appeal to income-oriented investors and signaling continued capital-return support. The provided announcement did not include the dividend amount or payment details. Merck fourth-quarter dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Buy rating, while broader brokerage coverage places Merck at a “Moderate Buy” consensus, indicating generally favorable but not universally bullish sentiment. Wells Fargo maintains Merck Buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect Merck’s second-quarter earnings to decline, and a Zacks preview says the company lacks the typical signals associated with a likely earnings beat. This raises near-term execution risk ahead of the earnings report. Merck second-quarter earnings preview

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:MRK opened at $130.45 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.53 and a 12-month high of $135.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $322.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.24.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.