Bingham Private Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Bingham Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,316 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $560,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third 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 last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $31,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA granted Priority Review to Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s BLA for ifinatamab deruxtecan for previously treated extensive‑stage small cell lung cancer — if approved this could be a first‑in‑class B7‑H3 antibody‑drug conjugate with meaningful upside to oncology revenue. Article
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK from $130 to $145 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling analyst confidence in Merck’s growth trajectory and providing a potential catalyst for upside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context — large pharma shifting to smaller, disciplined deals may leave room for strategic partnerships and targeted M&A that could benefit Merck or its competitors, but no direct near‑term impact is specified. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector moves: positive clinical readouts at peers (e.g., Revolution Medicines) are lifting biotech sentiment broadly — this can shift investor flows within healthcare but does not directly change Merck’s fundamentals. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary pieces highlight profitability as an important factor for long‑term holders; Merck’s margins and guidance remain points investors watch but are not new catalysts. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational and policy risk: reporting on how Merck built a broad patent “wall” around Keytruda and the high U.S. costs underscores political, regulatory and payer scrutiny that could pressure pricing and future revenue. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term selling pressure noted in recent market reports — short‑term stock weakness has appeared even as company news flows positive, suggesting traders are balancing the FDA news with broader market and sector dynamics. Article

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.47.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $119.94 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $119.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.42. The firm has a market cap of $296.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last issued 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 firm 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%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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 expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.