Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Has $7.92 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 94,308 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,269 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after acquiring an additional 4,636,183 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,013,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,980,084,000 after purchasing an additional 567,900 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.80.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $108.52 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $111.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $98.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.62. The firm has a market cap of $269.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.91%.

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.