Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,651,002 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 171,379 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.8% of Aberdeen Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.19% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $489,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,733,923,000 after buying an additional 1,156,112 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after buying an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 16,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,363,480,000 after buying an additional 3,454,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,877,000 after buying an additional 2,735,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $120.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $117.47 and a 200 day moving average of $102.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $298.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: European approval expands KEYTRUDA use to a platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer population (PD‑L1 CPS ≥1). This label adds a new, high‑need indication and could incrementally lift oncology sales in Europe if uptake is steady; approval reduces regulatory uncertainty for the combo in that market. Merck granted EU approval of Keytruda combo in ovarian cancer
• Positive Sentiment: European Commission press release confirming KEYTRUDA + paclitaxel ± bevacizumab approval for PD‑L1‑positive, platinum‑resistant recurrent ovarian carcinoma — reinforces the commercial significance of the approval and the company’s oncology momentum in EU markets. European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA combo
• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported strong Phase 3 results for an oral PCSK9 candidate (enlicitide decanoate) — if confirmed through regulatory paths, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in lipid management and compete with injectables, implying material long‑term upside to cardiovascular franchise revenue. Merck Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Initiation of a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial for MK‑8748 (Tiespectus) in neovascular AMD shows Merck advancing a novel bispecific Tie2 agonist/VEGF inhibitor into registrational testing — de‑risks a promising ophthalmology program and could add a new specialty product if successful. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada assigned an Outperform rating — analyst upgrades/support can buoy sentiment and buying interest, especially when coupled with pipeline news and recent beats. Merck Earns Outperform Rating from RBC
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck released detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data (WINREVAIR) — more granular data helps investors assess clinical profile and commercial potential, but Phase 2 detail typically moves shares less than registrational results unless outcomes are transformational. Merck Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck completed the acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ chromatography business — broadens manufacturing/service capabilities (note: some headlines refer to Merck KGaA; confirm scope). Strategic but not immediately revenue‑moving for MRK’s core drug sales. Merck Completes Acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ Chromatography Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary: Lilly warned against locking pricing‑deal rules into law, citing innovation risk — a reminder of policy/regulatory uncertainty that can affect the whole pharma sector, including MRK, but it’s not a company‑specific development. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

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.