Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Purchases Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock

Posted by John Perry on Sep 12th, 2026

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican-Florida) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on September 09th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on August 19th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “UBS IRA ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar also recently made the following trade(s):

Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) on 8/24/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Chubb (NYSE:CB) on 8/19/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 8/12/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) on 8/12/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 8/7/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 7/28/2026.
Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 7/28/2026.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of MRK traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $144.02. The stock had a trading volume of 8,677,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,649,869. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $136.51 and a 200 day moving average of $124.40. The company has a market cap of $355.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.22, a P/E/G ratio of 6.30 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Argus upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight 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 $151.32.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target for Merck (MRK) from $150 to $172 and maintained a “Buy” rating, implying substantial upside from the recent share price. Benzinga analyst update
Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim also increased its Merck price target to $170, reinforcing the view that the company’s pipeline, newer medicines and potential cancer-drug combinations can support growth beyond Keytruda. Guggenheim increases Merck price target
Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its development pipeline and commercial portfolio to reduce reliance on Keytruda ahead of its 2028 patent and exclusivity challenges. This provides a longer-term growth narrative, although execution and successful launches remain important. Merck pipeline and new drugs
Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s stock attracted significant investor attention, but the coverage offers limited new fundamental information. Separately, broader pharmaceutical discussion highlighted manufacturing hurdles for personalized cancer vaccines and risks surrounding confidential industry information. Merck and cancer-vaccine risks
Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Merck’s valuation looks demanding relative to its growth rate and to faster-growing peers such as Eli Lilly. Those concerns, combined with the future Keytruda revenue gap, likely contributed to the recent weakness despite higher analyst targets. Merck valuation versus Eli Lilly

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Representative Salazar

Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2021. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Salazar (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Maria Elvira Salazar was born in Miami, Florida, and lives in Coral Gables, Florida. Salazar earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami in 1983 and a graduate degree from Harvard University in 1995. Her career experience includes working as a television journalist, reporter, and news anchor.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck’s pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.