DNB Asset Management AS Cuts Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

DNB Asset Management AS lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 748,427 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,667 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $62,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after buying an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after buying an additional 18,187 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after buying an additional 7,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 117.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 3,329 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage with an “outperform”/”moderate buy” and a $142 price target, highlighting analyst conviction and potential upside for MRK. Royal Bank of Canada Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced late‑breaking Phase 3 data for the doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) two‑drug HIV regimen and is in FDA review; trial results matched an established competitor (Biktarvy), supporting a potential new HIV franchise as Keytruda faces patent pressure. DOR/ISL Phase 3 Data (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Merck Animal Health received FDA approval for NUMELVI (atinvicitinib) for control of pruritus in dogs — a product approval that diversifies revenue and strengthens the veterinary business. NUMELVI FDA Approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and research pieces (Zacks, ResearchAndMarkets profile) are increasing visibility and may attract more institutional interest, but they are informational rather than immediate price catalysts. Zacks Trending Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting retirees shifting into dividend funds could help demand for large dividend-paying pharma names like MRK over time, but this is a gradual flow rather than an immediate driver. Dividend Funds Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit has cooled sharply (reported drop from bullish 63 to neutral 43), suggesting some short-term retail profit‑taking and weaker buyer interest despite the positive news flow. Reddit Sentiment Cooling

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.6%

MRK opened at $119.30 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $294.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.