17,497 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC

Key Points

• Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC doubled its Merck stake in the third quarter, acquiring 17,497 additional shares to hold 34,896 shares valued at approximately $5.07 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with 17 Buy, nine Hold and one Sell rating and an average price target of $151.92.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, while paying a quarterly dividend of $0.85, equivalent to a 2.3% annual yield. Investors remain focused on Keytruda’s patent-cliff risk and the company’s valuation.

Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 100.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,896 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,497 shares during the period. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,071,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during 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 buying an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $145.25 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $146.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.17. The company has a market capitalization of $358.35 billion, a PE ratio of 116.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company'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 value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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. 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.

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