Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock: M&G PLC Cuts Holdings

M&G PLC cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 86.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 28,312 shares of the company’s stock after selling 182,653 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Graney & King LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRK. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $148.00 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.02. The company has a market cap of $364.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 152.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.78 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.26 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 3.64%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide in patients with MASH and moderate-to-advanced liver fibrosis. The investigational drug could broaden Merck’s future growth opportunities, though it remains in clinical development. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Merck started a Phase 3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance and said the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer. Progress across these programs could support its pipeline, although neither development guarantees commercial success. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: A dividend-stock comparison notes that Merck and Gilead raised their 2026 sales outlooks after third-quarter results. It offers limited new company-specific information about MRK beyond that update. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported FDA approval of PIMJETMI (pimicotinib) concerns Merck KGaA, the Germany-based company—not Merck & Co. (MRK)—so it should not be treated as a direct catalyst for MRK. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary warns that 2027 growth could be pressured by generic competition, weaker vaccine demand and slowing Keytruda growth. Those risks may weigh on near-term expectations, even as Merck’s expanding pipeline offers longer-term potential. Article

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine. Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co. became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.