Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 90.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 541,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,955,092 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $57,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. The trade was a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Signed a multi‑year research collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics to discover IBD drug targets using Quotient’s somatic genomics platform; the deal includes an upfront payment and a milestone structure worth up to $2.2 billion, giving Merck access to novel target‑finding technology that could expand its inflammation franchise and long‑term growth prospects. Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck to Discover Novel Drug Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Somatic Genomics Platform Technology
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/press writeups note the strategic value of the Quotient tie‑up and discuss valuation upside if the somatic‑genomics approach yields actionable targets—this coverage can help re‑rate MRK on pipeline optionality and future royalties/booked milestones. Assessing Merck (MRK) Valuation After New IBD Genetics Collaboration With Quotient Therapeutics
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial progress for WINREVAIR® (sotatercept): several Canadian jurisdictions have added the product to public formularies following a pCPA agreement, improving access and supporting upside in pulmonary arterial hypertension revenue. Greater public coverage reduces uptake risk and supports revenue visibility in Canada. New Public Listings for Canadians Living with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s most recent quarterly results (reported Feb 3) beat EPS and revenue estimates and management provided FY2026 EPS guidance—this fundamental backdrop (solid margins, strong ROE, and guidance) underpins investor confidence alongside the new deals. (Company filings and earnings release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and scans flagged MRK among S&P 500 large caps to watch and noted recent outperformance versus the index—these are market‑flow and sentiment items that can amplify moves but don’t change fundamentals by themselves. 1 S&P 500 Stock to Target This Week and 2 We Ignore
• Neutral Sentiment: Price recaps and short pieces (Zacks/Yahoo) note recent gains—useful for tracking momentum but not new catalysts. Merck (MRK) Exceeds Market Returns: Some Facts to Consider

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $116.26 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $116.10 and a 200-day moving average of $101.32. The stock has a market cap of $287.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.

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.