South Dakota Investment Council Trims Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

South Dakota Investment Council lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 179,966 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,492 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $21,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $130.45 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.53 and a 1 year high of $135.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $122.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.24. 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 stock has a market cap of $322.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 0.19.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid 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 payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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.