Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 85,347 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Teacher Retirement System of Texas trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 777,967 shares of the company’s stock after selling 85,347 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $81,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 15,636 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the second quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,918,000 after acquiring an additional 359,356 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.47.

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

In other news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi?year partnership with Google Cloud that could total up to $1 billion to deploy agentic AI (Gemini Enterprise) across R&D, manufacturing and commercial functions — a strategic investment that could accelerate productivity, R&D efficiency and long?term margins. Merck to partner with Google Cloud on AI initiatives
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Priority Review to supplemental BLAs for KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX in combination for cisplatin?eligible muscle?invasive bladder cancer — a faster regulatory path that could expand Keytruda’s label and near?term revenue potential if approved. Merck Gains FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA Regimen in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved Merck’s once?daily two?drug HIV regimen IDVYNSO (doravirine/islatravir), adding a new commercial product to the company’s portfolio and supporting non?oncology revenue diversification. FDA Approves Merck’s Once-Daily IDVYNSO
• Positive Sentiment: Sources report Merck among bidders interested in Inhibrx’s experimental cancer drug tied to Keytruda — potential M&A could add high?value oncology assets and pipeline upside if a deal materializes. Merck, rivals eye deal for Inhibrx experimental cancer drug tied to Keytruda
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck is listed among companies developing therapies in the expanding polycythemia vera market (bomedemstat), a long?horizon opportunity but with multiple competitors and development risk. Polycythemia Vera Market Set for Transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck launched a bio?based solvent portfolio for HPLC — a niche product innovation that may modestly support commercial/business solutions but is unlikely to move near?term earnings. Merck Launches First Bio-Based Solvent Portfolio for HPLC
• Negative Sentiment: Merck and partner Eisai reported a late?stage triplet Keytruda?based therapy failed to meet primary endpoints in first?line advanced renal cell carcinoma (LITESPARK?012 update), triggering an investor selloff tied to near?term oncology growth uncertainty. MRK Down as Triplet Therapy Fails to Meet Goal in Kidney Cancer Study

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $112.87 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $278.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $118.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.53.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

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.