NewEdge Advisors LLC Has $41.12 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

NewEdge Advisors LLC reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 341,876 shares of the company’s stock after selling 54,555 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.8% of NewEdge Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $41,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 23,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,819,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $150 from $140 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 15% upside from the referenced price. The increase reflects continued confidence in Merck’s outlook. Barclays raises Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA met its primary progression-free-survival endpoint in a Phase 3 trial for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, outperforming platinum-based chemotherapy. Merck said the result could support future regulatory filings and strengthen its oncology pipeline. Merck KEYTRUDA endometrial cancer trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced its fourth-quarter 2026 dividend, reinforcing the stock’s appeal to income-oriented investors and signaling continued capital-return support. The provided announcement did not include the dividend amount or payment details. Merck fourth-quarter dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Buy rating, while broader brokerage coverage places Merck at a “Moderate Buy” consensus, indicating generally favorable but not universally bullish sentiment. Wells Fargo maintains Merck Buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect Merck’s second-quarter earnings to decline, and a Zacks preview says the company lacks the typical signals associated with a likely earnings beat. This raises near-term execution risk ahead of the earnings report. Merck second-quarter earnings preview

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $130.45 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $122.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.24. The stock has a market cap of $322.18 billion, a PE ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.53 and a fifty-two week high of $135.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

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.