Benjamin Edwards Inc. Grows Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 493,935 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,680 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $41,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 378.5% during the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 45,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,115,000 after purchasing an additional 35,952 shares during the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $285,000. SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $2,213,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 617.0% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $130 and reiterated a “buy” rating, implying ~20% upside and signaling stronger analyst confidence in Merck’s outlook. UBS Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated the Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 trial for calderasib (MK-1084) in combination with KEYTRUDA for KRAS G12C-mutant advanced NSCLC — a meaningful pipeline advancement that could expand oncology revenue if successful. Phase 3 Trial Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is set to complete the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, adding antifungal assets/technology that could be complementary to Merck’s anti-infectives portfolio. M&A typically supports medium-term growth expectations. Cidara Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate PR: Dr. Rasha Kelej of the Merck Foundation was named one of the “100 Most Influential Africans,” a reputational positive though with limited direct market impact. Merck Foundation Recognition
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup nudged its target up to $110 but kept a “neutral” rating — a modest signal that some analysts see limited near-term upside. Citi Target Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck scheduled its Q4 & full‑year 2025 sales and earnings call for Feb. 3 — a key upcoming catalyst where management guidance and pipeline updates could move the stock. Earnings Call Notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundup and industry pieces (Benzinga, Zacks, 247WallStreet) are circulating, with some buy-the-dip commentary on medical stocks; these drive attention but contain mixed buy/hold views for MRK. Analyst Roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent move: a former Merck vaccines president was named CEO at Vaxxas — notable for industry dynamics but not a direct negative for Merck. Vaxxas Appointment
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/market risk: reporting that the U.S. trimmed the childhood vaccine schedule to 11 core shots raises near-term demand concerns for vaccine makers, a potential headwind for Merck’s vaccine revenue. Vaccine Schedule Report

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MRK opened at $108.52 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $98.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $111.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $269.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.