TD Asset Management Inc Purchases 46,150 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

TD Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,334,726 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 46,150 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $300,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported that their personalized cancer therapy met key Phase 3 goals, improving recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival for high-risk melanoma patients when added to Keytruda. The result is the first major late-stage win for an mRNA cancer vaccine and strengthens the potential for regulatory approval and broader oncology applications. MRK/MRNA’s Personalized Cancer Therapy Delivers First Phase III Win
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their outlooks for MRK: Goldman Sachs increased its price target to $160 and kept a Buy rating, while BMO raised its target to $170 and UBS lifted its target to $175. Morgan Stanley also upgraded the shares to Overweight with a $179 target after the cancer-trial success.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see Merck’s newer products, acquired assets and pipeline programs as a potential growth cushion against Keytruda’s eventual patent expiration. The company’s expanding portfolio could help diversify revenue beyond its flagship drug. Can Merck’s New Drugs Offer Growth Cushion Ahead of Keytruda LOE?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened investor interest and potential volatility, but it does not by itself establish the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets downgraded Merck to Sector Perform and set a $150 target, arguing that execution risks and the 2028 Keytruda loss of exclusivity are being underestimated. RBC said near-term catalysts are attractive, but the stock’s valuation leaves limited room for additional gains. Merck upgraded at Morgan Stanley after cancer trial win; RBC downgrades
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies separately moved Merck from Strong Buy to Hold. The central concern is that the shares have already rallied substantially on the trial news, making the current valuation appear demanding relative to the remaining patent and execution risks.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $152.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.94, a PEG ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $154.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.23.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’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. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

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.