Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,140 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,879 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,263,991,000 after purchasing an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after buying an additional 5,135,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,013,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,980,084,000 after acquiring an additional 567,900 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. The trade was a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $117.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $289.72 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck exercised an option on Evaxion’s EVX‑B3 infectious disease vaccine program — a sign of active pipeline expansion and BD activity that can add future revenue potential. Evaxion (EVAX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Merck expanded a multi‑year collaboration with Tempus AI on oncology and drug discovery tools — this reinforces R&D capability and could accelerate discovery programs. Assessing Tempus AI (TEM) Valuation After Expanded Merck Collaboration Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Market research on Pneumovax 23 highlights expanding adult/geriatric immunization demand and distribution improvements — potential tailwinds for Merck’s vaccine franchise over the medium term. Pneumovax 23 (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline market move note — outlets flagged MRK trading above the prior close, reflecting today’s mixed news flow and investor repositioning. Merck (MRK) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/reporting items: analyses and Dow pieces compare Merck with peers and flag sector shifts — useful context but not single‑handedly market moving for MRK. 2 Dow Jones Stocks to Research Further and 1 Facing Headwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Factbox: drugmakers are increasing U.S. manufacturing and inventory ahead of potential tariffs — could protect supply but may raise near‑term capex and inventory costs. Factbox-Global drugmakers rush to boost US presence as tariff threat looms
• Negative Sentiment: Big headwind: Gardasil sales plunged ~39% in 2025 (weak demand in China) and management does not expect a rebound in 2026 — a meaningful near‑term drag on Merck’s vaccine revenues and top‑line growth. Will Weak Gardasil Sales Continue to Weigh on MRK’s Top Line in 2026?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

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.