Sanders Morris Harris LLC Sells 4,249 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Sanders Morris Harris LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 72.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,578 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,249 shares during the period. Sanders Morris Harris LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,737,504,000 after buying an additional 1,859,990 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,307,572,000 after buying an additional 249,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,731,018,000 after acquiring an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported second-quarter revenue of $16.61 billion, above the $16.37 billion consensus estimate, while its adjusted loss of $0.13 per share was narrower than the expected $0.26 loss. Revenue grew 5.1% year over year. Merck posts better-than-expected second-quarter results on Keytruda strength
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda remained the primary growth driver, generating $8.37 billion in quarterly sales, while the injectable formulation substantially exceeded Wall Street expectations. Newer products and pipeline programs also supported the company’s performance. The Merck Product That Absolutely Demolished Wall Street’s Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Merck raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $66.3 billion-$67.3 billion, reflecting confidence in Keytruda, newer launches and pipeline progress. Guggenheim also raised its price target to $146 and maintained a Buy rating. MRK Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates, ’26 Sales View Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Health Canada approved Keytruda combined with enfortumab vedotin for certain cisplatin-ineligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, expanding the drug’s commercial reach. Health Canada approves Keytruda treatment
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck is accelerating acquisitions and partnerships in hematology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiopulmonary medicine and obesity to diversify ahead of Keytruda’s expected U.S. patent-exclusivity loss in 2028. The strategy offers long-term upside but increases execution and spending risks. Merck is racing beyond Keytruda
• Negative Sentiment: Merck lowered its 2026 EPS guidance to $2.66-$2.76, well below the $3.42 consensus, primarily because of acquisition-related charges tied to Terns Pharmaceuticals and other deals. Merck hikes revenue outlook but cuts profit guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Keytruda’s 2028 patent cliff could create a significant revenue gap unless newer products, acquisitions and clinical programs deliver sufficient replacement growth. Merck also reported a mixed development update for anti-TL1A drug tulisokibart, which was discontinued in one rare lung-disease indication. MSD posts a victory and defeat for anti-TL1A

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.56.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $128.33 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $123.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $316.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.66, a PEG ratio of 5.13 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $135.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.