24,712 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Valley National Advisers Inc.

Valley National Advisers Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 55.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,245 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,712 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Graney & King LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $41,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $145.25 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.01 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $146.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $358.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Seventeen equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for the personalized melanoma vaccine, intismeran, combined with Keytruda. The treatment reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% and also improved distant metastasis-free survival, supporting the long-term potential of the partnership’s oncology pipeline. Doctors call Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine data a major advancement
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, regardless of patients’ cisplatin eligibility. The broader label expands the addressable market and represents the EU’s first approval of a PD-1 inhibitor combined with an antibody-drug conjugate in this setting. Merck wins EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite strong clinical results, the vaccine announcement triggered a “sell-the-news” reaction. The data largely met elevated Wall Street expectations after an earlier leak, limiting the immediate upside for MRK even though oncologists viewed the results as an important treatment advance. Merck and Moderna shares fall on cancer vaccine results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about valuation and Merck’s future revenue concentration in Keytruda ahead of its patent cliff. Analysts have also characterized the recent rally as leaving limited margin of safety, increasing the risk of profit-taking when news is merely in line with expectations. Merck rally leaves little margin of safety
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.63 from $2.73 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.38 from $9.47. Separate previews also anticipate a year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings, adding near-term pressure to the shares. Merck earnings preview

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.