Capital International Inc. CA Cuts Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Capital International Inc. CA trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,745 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,639 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $116.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $287.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $114.86 and its 200 day moving average is $99.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive late‑stage clinical results across oncology and HIV programs — Phase 3 data for KEYTRUDA and WELIREG showed improved survival/expanded indications in kidney, ovarian and bladder cancer, and Merck highlighted progress on its DOR/ISL HIV program; these outcomes support revenue growth potential from high‑margin specialty drugs. Merck Trial Wins Shape Oncology And HIV Prospects For Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings and guidance remain supportive — Merck posted an EPS beat and set FY2026 guidance, which underpins expectations for profitability and cash generation that fund R&D, buybacks, and dividends. (Earnings referenced from Merck’s Feb results.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market reports note expanding markets for several of Merck’s products (neuroendocrine carcinoma, vaccines like Ervebo, M‑M‑R II, and fertility drug Elonva); these reports signal longer‑term TAM expansion but are not near‑term catalysts by themselves. Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Market Poised for Significant Growth Ervebo (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026 M-M-R II (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026 Elonva (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term price momentum: recent coverage noted MRK moving higher within the S&P 500 and outperforming the market on some sessions — useful context for market positioning but not a fundamental change. Merck & Co. Moves Higher Within S&P 500 Index Amid Gains Merck (MRK) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution on Winrevair — RBC flagged that Winrevair needs to show at least a 20‑meter improvement on the 6‑minute walk test to build confidence; failure to meet clinically meaningful thresholds could weigh on sentiment for that respiratory program. Merck’s Winrevair Must Show Walk Distance Improvement to Build Confidence, RBC Says

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.