Dakota Wealth Management Has $2.63 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Dakota Wealth Management decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,311 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,634 shares during the quarter. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after buying an additional 18,187 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after buying an additional 7,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 117.4% in the second quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 3,329 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 SMART trial results for ENFLONSIA (clesrovimab) in infants/children under 2 — expands the potential market for Merck’s RSV product and strengthens near-term growth prospects. Merck (MRK) Announces Positive Phase 3 SMART Trial Results for ENFLONSIA (Clesrovimab)
• Positive Sentiment: New Keytruda approvals/formulations (including subcutaneous option and additional indications) broaden dosing options and indications, supporting replacement revenue as competition increases. Merck RSV And KEYTRUDA Updates Refocus Attention On Valuation And Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Merck hit an annual high inside the Russell 1000 — technical/market-strength signal that complements fundamental newsflow. Merck (NYSE:MRK) Hits Annual High in Russell 1000
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will present at the TD Cowen 46th Annual Health Care Conference — standard investor outreach that may provide management clarity but is not an immediate earnings driver. Merck to Participate in the TD Cowen 46th Annual Health Care Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and peer-comparison pieces show Merck is a relative outperformer but Wall Street remains cautiously optimistic — supports valuation but suggests limited near-term multiple expansion without more upside news. How Is Merck & Co.’s Stock Performance Compared to Other Healthcare Stocks?
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda patent expiry (approaching 2028) is pushing Merck to split its human-health business and create a standalone cancer unit — a defensive move that signals meaningful future revenue pressure from biosimilars/generic competition. Market reaction has been muted, but the patent cliff remains the primary long-term risk to MRK’s top-line. Merck to create separate cancer business to offset Keytruda patent loss, WSJ reports

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. This trade represents a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $124.11 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $124.84. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $308.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 45.22%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.72 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.80.

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.