Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Cullen Investment Group LTD.

Cullen Investment Group LTD. cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 117,623 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,693 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.7% of Cullen Investment Group LTD.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Cullen Investment Group LTD.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7,567.9% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 489,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,726,000 after buying an additional 482,829 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% in the second quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the second quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $119.33 on Thursday. 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. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.44. The firm has a market cap of $295.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced 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. The company 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck agreed to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals for $53.00 per share (~$6.7B) to add TERN-701, an allosteric BCR::ABL1 candidate for chronic myeloid leukemia — seen as a strategic, near-term pipeline boost ahead of Keytruda patent risk. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals press release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight TERN-701’s disruptive potential in CML; some firms say the deal strengthens Merck’s long-term oncology franchise and could be accretive if the asset delivers. Health Care Roundup: Market Talk
• Positive Sentiment: Broker action: Citi recently raised its price target on MRK to $125 (from $120), signaling continued analyst support amid the M&A and pipeline moves. Citi Raises its Price Target on Merck
• Positive Sentiment: Market backdrop helped equities broadly: risk-on sentiment (hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East) and lower oil prices supported healthcare stocks, including MRK. Equities Rise, Oil Dips as Traders Weigh Prospects of Iran War Ceasefire
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics on IBD target discovery (potential upside, but long‑term and milestone‑driven). Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck hosted/announced investor and M&A calls to discuss the transaction and strategy — useful for details but not an immediate catalyst beyond confirmation of deal terms. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) M&A Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Deal risks: reporting notes potential for a bidding contest or activist interest — that could raise acquisition cost or create execution risk; investors may watch for how Merck finances / integrates the asset. Why Merck Might Have A Fight On Its Hands With Its $6.7 Billion Takeover Of Terns

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were 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 approximately $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley increased 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 report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

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.