23,115 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by apricus wealth LLC

Key Points

• Apricus Wealth LLC cut its Merck stake by 55.9% in the third quarter, selling 23,115 shares and retaining 18,213 shares valued at approximately $2.65 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s stock.
• Merck reported positive oncology developments, including Phase 3 results showing its Sac-TMT treatment reduced the risk of death in certain endometrial cancer patients and KEYTRUDA reduced disease-progression risk by 43%. Barclays raised its price target to $180 and maintained an overweight rating.
• Investors continue to weigh Merck’s pipeline against KEYTRUDA’s December 2028 patent expiration, potential limits on China biotech partnerships and recent insider selling. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $153.12.

apricus wealth LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 55.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,213 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,115 shares during the period. apricus wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company's stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the third quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and partner Daiichi Sankyo reported positive Phase 3 results for sacituzumab tirumotecan (Sac-TMT) in certain patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The treatment reduced the risk of death by 32% and the risk of disease progression or death by 41% versus chemotherapy; median overall survival was 19 months compared with 12.1 months. An FDA decision is expected by June 2027. Sac-TMT Phase 3 results
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA monotherapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 43% in a specified group of patients with mismatch repair-deficient endometrial cancer, reinforcing the drug’s oncology franchise and potential for additional indications. KEYTRUDA endometrial cancer results
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its MRK price target to $180 from $150 and maintained an overweight rating. Another valuation update lifted fair value to $159.76 from $155.68, citing Merck’s oncology pipeline and cancer-vaccine partnership. Barclays price-target increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck and Moderna’s personalized melanoma vaccine reduced recurrence or death by 42% when added to KEYTRUDA in a Phase 3 trial. However, the result was below some elevated investor expectations, and overall-survival data remain immature. Merck’s October 29 earnings call may provide details on regulatory filings, launch economics and the vaccine’s role in offsetting future Keytruda losses.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Keytruda’s compound-patent expiration in December 2028. Upcoming results must show that newer products—including Winrevair, Keytruda QLEX and other pipeline assets—can support management’s “shallow dip” outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New U.S. Treasury restrictions on certain U.S. collaborations and investments involving Chinese biotech companies could limit Merck’s access to partnerships, research and potential cancer-drug candidates from China. China biotech restrictions and Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $140.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $346.28 billion, a PE ratio of 112.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $146.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus increased their target price on 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 Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $153.12.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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