Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA

Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 827,676 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 134,772 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.9% of Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $87,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the 3rd 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 increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the third 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 increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP raised its stake 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 last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.6%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $121.06 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. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a market cap of $299.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $117.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.68.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Completed acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ chromatography business broadens Merck’s downstream purification portfolio with next‑generation Protein A chromatography, improving its biomanufacturing offering and positioning it to capture more upstream/downstream spend from biologics manufacturers. Merck Completes Acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ Chromatography Business
• Positive Sentiment: New R&D collaboration with Infinimmune could deliver up to ~$838M in milestones to Merck as it funds discovery of immune cell‑directed antibodies — expands early‑stage pipeline and de‑risks future biologics launches. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s recent acquisitions and the Terns buy (noted in coverage) signal management’s push to bolster oncology revenue streams — a strategic move that supports longer‑term growth and margin expansion. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada issued an Outperform rating on MRK, which can draw buying interest from institutional investors and supports the stock’s momentum. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Latest quarterly results showed an EPS beat and raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance (5.000–5.150), supporting the view that core operations and margins remain healthy. Merck & Co., Inc. Stock/Results Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlighting Merck as an “affordable” dividend/defensive stock and inclusion in lists of defensive names may increase retail interest but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Why is Merck & Co. (MRK) One of the Best Affordable Stocks to Buy With Good Earnings Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting an expanded collaboration between Tempus AI and Merck highlights partnerships in data/AI, but the near‑term revenue impact for Merck is unclear. Assessing Tempus AI (TEM) Valuation After ALERT Cardiology Trial Results And Expanded Merck Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market pieces (Barclays’ defensive picks, Blackstone fund closing) provide context for investor flows into healthcare but do not directly change Merck’s fundamentals. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term price churn has appeared in recent sessions (some intraday dips and lagging vs. the broader market on certain days), reflecting market volatility and rotation risk that could cap near‑term upside. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.