Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Sells 178,997 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,881,532 shares of the company’s stock after selling 178,997 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.6% of Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $198,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% 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, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $115.42 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $285.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $145, which is a direct positive signal from a major sell-side firm and can lift investor sentiment. UBS Boosts MRK Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Keytruda as the primary growth driver heading into Q1 results, noting new indications and uptake that could sustain revenue growth — this supports medium-term earnings expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck’s Top Line?
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter and technical traders are bullish on MRK; an options/technical piece highlights a bullish diagonal trade targeting $130, reflecting some traders positioning for a near-term rebound. Bullish Diagonal Trade Targets $130
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks/Yahoo attention pieces note MRK is a trending stock and recap key facts (pipeline, Keytruda dependence, valuation) — useful for retail interest but not new company-specific catalysts. Merck Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports cite Merck among major players in the animal-health market outlook — this is incremental, long-term relevance rather than an immediate stock driver. Animal Health Market Intelligence Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Merck KGaA (XTRA:MRK) valuation can create ticker/name confusion for casual readers but has no direct impact on U.S.-listed Merck & Co. fundamentals. Assessing Merck KGaA Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Other healthcare staffing and small-cap biotech headlines in the feed (Soleo Health, Summit Therapeutics) are peripheral and unlikely to move MRK stock materially. Soleo Health Appointment Summit Therapeutics BLA Acceptance

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.