Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Americana Partners LLC

Americana Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 268,094 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,071 shares during the quarter. Americana Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $38,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Round Rock Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the third quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $149.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a PE ratio of 154.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $146.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $126.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.80 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.