United Asset Strategies Inc. Raises Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 190,265 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 21,765 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.3% of United Asset Strategies Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $15,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE MRK opened at $108.52 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $111.46. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $269.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% 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: UBS raised its price target on MRK from $105 to $130 and reiterated a “buy” rating — the new target implies roughly a 20% upside from the referenced price, supporting near?term upside and analyst momentum. Analyst roundup
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated the Phase 3 KANDLELIT?007 trial evaluating calderasib (MK?1084) in combination with KEYTRUDA for first?line KRAS G12C?mutant advanced NSCLC — a successful late?stage program could materially expand oncology revenue over the medium term. KANDLELIT-007 trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck will complete the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics — expands antifungal and immunology capabilities and could add near?term revenue/technology synergies. Acquisition close reduces execution uncertainty if integration proceeds smoothly. Cidara acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target from $95 to $110 but kept a “neutral” rating — modest upside implied and less bullish than UBS, so mixed signal from the sell side. Benzinga (Citigroup note)
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga published a summary roundup of 10 analysts’ views on Merck — useful for gauging consensus but contains mixed opinions on valuation and growth drivers. Analyst roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck scheduled its Q4 and full?year 2025 sales & earnings conference call for Feb. 3 — investors will watch guidance and Keytruda/cancer pipeline commentary for near?term volatility. Earnings call
• Neutral Sentiment: Vaxxas named former Merck Global Vaccines president David Peacock as CEO — a sector talent move that signals commercialization activity in vaccine delivery tech but is not a direct driver for MRK. Vaxxas hire
• Neutral Sentiment: PR recognition: Dr. Rasha Kelej of the Merck Foundation was named among the “100 Most Influential Africans” — positive reputation/CSR signal but limited market impact. Merck Foundation recognition
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. reduced the childhood vaccine schedule to 11 core shots — analysts note this could weigh on vaccine volumes for manufacturers like Merck and GSK, introducing downside risk to vaccine revenue estimates. Vaccine schedule cut

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.25.

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.