Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by AIA Group Ltd

AIA Group Ltd lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 375,724 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,570 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.7% of AIA Group Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $45,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $294,000. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $308,000. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.4% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,249,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $751,733,000 after purchasing an additional 689,849 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE MRK opened at $127.47 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $131.74. The company has a market capitalization of $314.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $120.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

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.