6,452 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 373,534 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,452 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $54,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide in patients with MASH and moderate-to-advanced liver fibrosis. The investigational drug could broaden Merck’s future growth opportunities, though it remains in clinical development. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Merck started a Phase 3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance and said the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer. Progress across these programs could support its pipeline, although neither development guarantees commercial success. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: A dividend-stock comparison notes that Merck and Gilead raised their 2026 sales outlooks after third-quarter results. It offers limited new company-specific information about MRK beyond that update. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported FDA approval of PIMJETMI (pimicotinib) concerns Merck KGaA, the Germany-based company—not Merck & Co. (MRK)—so it should not be treated as a direct catalyst for MRK. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary warns that 2027 growth could be pressured by generic competition, weaker vaccine demand and slowing Keytruda growth. Those risks may weigh on near-term expectations, even as Merck’s expanding pipeline offers longer-term potential. Article

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. HSBC upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Freedom Broker increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MRK opened at $148.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $364.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 152.57, a P/E/G ratio of 6.78 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.26 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $146.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 3.64%. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine. Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co. became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.