Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Unloads Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (Republican-Florida) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on October 7th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on September 24th. 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 Citigroup (NYSE:C) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chubb (NYSE:CB) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Honeywell International (NASDAQ:HON) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of FedEx (NYSE:FDX) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of RH (NYSE:RH) on 9/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 9/24/2026.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $142.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $143.59 and its 200 day moving average is $128.16.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $240,000. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $301,000. LifeGoal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $221,000. Market Street Wealth Management Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $200,000. Finally, Monument Capital Management grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the third quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 22,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,317,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were 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 owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved WELIREG plus LENVIMA for adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma previously treated with PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. The approval expands Merck’s oncology franchise, while a new Phase I trial using Cyprumed’s oral peptide-delivery platform adds a potential pipeline opportunity. Merck Wins FDA Approval for WELIREG Plus LENVIMA in Kidney Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly maintained an overweight rating while trimming its price target modestly to $177 from $179, implying meaningful potential upside from the reference price. Another report described Morgan Stanley as issuing a buy rating. Merck Gets a Buy from Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Apella Capital increased its Merck position by 16.6% to 43,902 shares, signaling added institutional interest, although the purchase is relatively small compared with Merck’s market capitalization. Apella Capital Increases Stake in Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $145 from $120 but kept a neutral rating, suggesting limited near-term upside and continued concerns about growth.
• Negative Sentiment: A Dutch court granted Halozyme an injunction blocking Merck’s injectable, subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European markets. The ruling could delay commercialization of the formulation and increase legal and patent risk around Merck’s most important product. Halozyme Wins Court Order Blocking Merck’s Keytruda SC in Europe
• Negative Sentiment: Industry analysis identifies Merck as particularly exposed to near-term generic competition as major patents expire, raising concerns about future revenue and earnings growth. Pharma’s $500B Patent Problem

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.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.