Boston Common Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 255,480 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,762 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.4% of Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,407,000 after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,991,000 after buying an additional 6,082 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the second 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, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage cholesterol pill delivered large LDL cuts (≈64.6%) and met its head‑to‑head primary endpoint — a potential new blockbuster oral option for lowering “bad” cholesterol that could materially diversify revenue beyond oncology. Merck’s drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 2 CADENCE results for WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk) showed proof‑of‑concept in combined post‑ and precapillary pulmonary hypertension with HFpEF — opens a foothold in a hard heart‑failure segment and supports pipeline value. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” and a $142 price target — a sizable upside vs. current levels that can support investor confidence and buying interest. Benzinga coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and media attention (e.g., Jim Cramer’s “stay the course” call) has driven momentum into Merck stock over recent months; that attention can amplify swings but is not a fundamental catalyst. Merck (MRK) Shares Up Significantly Since Jim Cramer Advised to “Stay the Course”
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports list Merck as a major player in the growing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma market — underscores long‑term TAM but not an immediate stock driver. Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) Market Rises to $8.33 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: New FY2026 earnings estimates and coverage updates are circulating (Erste Group Bank note) — watch revisions for guidance confirmation versus management’s FY2026 EPS range. FY2026 Earnings Estimate for MRK Issued By Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis flags an upcoming Keytruda patent cliff and Merck’s aggressive M&A push to refill the revenue gap — a strategic risk that could pressure sentiment if deal execution or integration falls short. Merck: Aggressive M&A Efforts To Prepare For A Keytruda Patent Cliff

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $117.99 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $291.71 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

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.