1,793,130 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Bought by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,793,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,560,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.07% of Merck & Co., Inc. as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,334,000 after buying an additional 1,959,778 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $197,550,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Leerink Partners increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.75 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.38, a PEG ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.