Jennison Associates LLC Acquires New Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,559,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $585,192,000. Jennison Associates LLC owned about 0.22% of Merck & Co., Inc. as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Pacific Financial boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $1,866,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Q1 results beat revenue and consensus loss estimates; Keytruda and newer products drove sales growth and management raised adjusted profit outlook — this supports upside to near?term fundamentals and investor confidence. Merck beats quarterly estimates on strength of Keytruda and new products, narrows outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced first patient dosed in two Phase 3 trials of enpatoran for lupus skin disease — a late?stage clinical milestone that could add a new growth opportunity if successful. Merck Announces First Dose in Phase 3 Study with Enpatoran
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating on MRK — a third?party vote of confidence that can support investor demand. Guggenheim Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck updated FY?2026 guidance to EPS $5.040–5.160 and revenue $65.8B–$67.0B — roughly in line with consensus (EPS ~5.07; revenue ~66.5B), so guidance neither materially surprises to the upside nor signals major downside. Merck Announces First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts (Erste Group) trimmed FY estimates marginally — small model adjustments that are unlikely to drive a large re?rating by themselves. Erste Group cuts FY2026 EPS estimate
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP Q1 showed a loss because of an acquisition?related (Cidara) charge, offsetting otherwise stronger product sales — the one?time charge creates headline risk and can pressure near?term stock reactions despite operating growth. Merck posts quarterly loss due to Cidara charge, sales rise 5%

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MRK opened at $111.07 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $274.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.26. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.31) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.91 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.47.

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.