11,499 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Bought by Blue Edge Capital LLC

Key Points

• Blue Edge Capital initiated a position in Merck, buying 11,499 shares valued at approximately $1.48 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 16 Buy ratings and eight Holds, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $150.33. Recent target increases included BMO Capital Markets raising its objective to $170.
• Merck exceeded quarterly revenue and EPS expectations, reporting $16.61 billion in revenue and EPS of negative $0.13, while revenue rose 5.1% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, although insiders have sold more than 228,000 shares over the past 90 days.

Blue Edge Capital LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 11,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,478,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,537.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 484,720,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,286,552,000 after acquiring an additional 480,884,635 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company's stock worth $12,737,504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859,990 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $150.33.

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

In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades support valuation: Leerink Partners raised its price target from $127 to $161 and maintained an “outperform” rating, while Guggenheim increased its target from $146 to $170 and assigned a “buy” rating. The revisions suggest analysts see further upside from Merck’s commercial execution and pipeline. Benzinga analyst rating reports
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline expansion addresses the Keytruda patent cliff: Merck is pairing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with Keytruda in women’s cancers, seeking to improve outcomes in difficult-to-treat tumors while building future revenue sources before Keytruda faces patent pressure. Merck pairs ADCs with Keytruda in women’s cancer push
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is focused on management commentary: Merck presented at the Wells Fargo 21st Annual Healthcare Conference and is scheduled to participate in Morgan Stanley’s global healthcare conference. These events may provide additional detail on Keytruda demand, pipeline progress and long-term growth plans. Wells Fargo healthcare conference transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Keytruda and new products remain central to the bull case: Commentary highlights Keytruda’s current growth contribution and Merck’s efforts to develop products capable of extending momentum beyond the anticipated 2028 patent cliff. MRK’s strong recent performance and elevated valuation leave expectations high. Merck trading near 52-week high
• Negative Sentiment: Long-term patent risk remains: Investors are watching whether Merck can replace revenue that may be lost when Keytruda’s exclusivity weakens. The company’s ability to commercialize ADC combinations and other pipeline assets is therefore critical to sustaining growth and its current valuation. Merck outlook and GARDASIL commentary

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $147.69 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The firm has a market cap of $364.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck's pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.