FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Sells 4,880 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 37.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,120 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,880 shares during the quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Payne Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Abound Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 38,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,068,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mattern Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $111.83 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $276.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at $8,361,522.15. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year, enterprise‑wide partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and advanced cloud infrastructure for drug discovery, manufacturing and operations — a strategic move that could improve R&D productivity and long‑term margins. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Merck won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a potential near‑term upsid e for oncology revenue if approved, supporting key growth drivers beyond vaccines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval momentum: the company secured FDA approval for Idvynso (doravirine + islatravir) for HIV‑1 treatment, and is cited among defensive/counter‑cyclical stock picks — positives for investor sentiment and diversification of approved products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Progress on M&A: the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired for Merck’s tender offer to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, clearing an antitrust procedural hurdle and bringing the acquisition closer to closing — strategic but not immediately earnings‑material. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines headwinds: reports highlight a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan, which pressures MRK’s vaccines revenue into the upcoming Q1 results and raises downside risk to top‑line guidance if the trend persists. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst expectations: several analyst notes expect a decline in Q1 earnings and flag that Merck may lack the near‑term drivers for an earnings beat — this raises the risk of downside surprise and explains short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

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.