Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 135,004 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,772 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jmac Enterprises LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 6,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.47.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA granted Priority Review to Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s BLA for ifinatamab deruxtecan for previously treated extensive‑stage small cell lung cancer — if approved this could be a first‑in‑class B7‑H3 antibody‑drug conjugate with meaningful upside to oncology revenue. Article
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK from $130 to $145 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling analyst confidence in Merck’s growth trajectory and providing a potential catalyst for upside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context — large pharma shifting to smaller, disciplined deals may leave room for strategic partnerships and targeted M&A that could benefit Merck or its competitors, but no direct near‑term impact is specified. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector moves: positive clinical readouts at peers (e.g., Revolution Medicines) are lifting biotech sentiment broadly — this can shift investor flows within healthcare but does not directly change Merck’s fundamentals. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary pieces highlight profitability as an important factor for long‑term holders; Merck’s margins and guidance remain points investors watch but are not new catalysts. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational and policy risk: reporting on how Merck built a broad patent “wall” around Keytruda and the high U.S. costs underscores political, regulatory and payer scrutiny that could pressure pricing and future revenue. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term selling pressure noted in recent market reports — short‑term stock weakness has appeared even as company news flows positive, suggesting traders are balancing the FDA news with broader market and sector dynamics. Article

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK stock opened at $119.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $105.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

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

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.