Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. Buys New Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 83,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,775,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.9% of Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.50.

Key Headlines 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 and up 5.1% year over year. Adjusted loss per share of $0.13 was also better than the expected $0.26 loss. Merck posts better-than-expected second-quarter results on Keytruda strength
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda remained the primary growth engine, while the newer injectable version of the cancer treatment exceeded Wall Street expectations by more than $200 million. Strength in oncology and other newer products helped support the improved sales outlook. The Merck Product That Absolutely Demolished Wall Street’s Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Merck raised and narrowed its full-year 2026 revenue forecast to $66.3 billion-$67.3 billion, broadly consistent with the $66.7 billion analyst consensus. Management also highlighted regulatory, clinical and pipeline milestones that could support longer-term growth. MRK Q2 Earnings and Sales Beat Estimates, 2026 Sales View Raised
• Negative Sentiment: Merck cut its 2026 EPS guidance to $2.66-$2.76, well below the $3.42 consensus estimate, because of charges associated with the acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals. The resulting earnings pressure offsets part of the benefit from the stronger sales outlook. Merck hikes revenue outlook but cuts profit guidance due to deal charges

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $128.28 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $316.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a PEG ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two 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. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $123.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.78.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its 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 net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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.