Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Has $96.05 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 51.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 902,306 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 306,767 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $96,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,407,000 after acquiring an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co grew its position 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 worth $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $120.26 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. The stock has a market cap of $297.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $117.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.55.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS 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 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck struck an R&D collaboration with Infinimmune to discover multiple human antibodies, a deal worth up to about $838 million in milestones — expands discovery engine with low upfront risk and broadens immunology/oncology pipeline. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage results: Merck reported an oral cholesterol drug reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol by ~64.6% in a Phase 3 trial — a potential next blockbuster and revenue driver if approved. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical pipeline wins beyond cholesterol: coverage of WINREVAIR Phase 2 success in a tough heart‑failure segment highlights additional mid‑stage upside and may support expectations for future label expansions. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142 price target, signaling analyst confidence in upside and reinforcing buy interest. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: M&A and portfolio building: Merck’s earlier ~$6.7B Terns acquisition and other strategic bets strengthen the oncology/precision‑medicine growth story and support longer‑term revenue visibility. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro positioning: Barclays listed Merck among defensive stocks to consider amid market volatility — may attract safe‑haven flows but is a structural view rather than an immediate catalyst. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector fund flows: Blackstone closed a record $6.3B life‑sciences fund, positive for biotech/medtech deal activity broadly but not an immediate company‑specific driver. Blackstone closes largest ever private funding investment round at $6.3bn
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness and recent pullbacks: Merck shares dipped with the broader market correction recently, creating near‑term volatility and profit‑taking risk despite company‑specific positives. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

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.