7,741 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Bought by Talon Private Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Talon Private Wealth LLC acquired 7,741 Merck shares worth approximately $995,000 during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s stock.
• Merck exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $16.61 billion in revenue, up 5.1% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $151.32. However, investors remain focused on Merck’s demanding valuation and its need to offset potential revenue pressure from Keytruda’s 2028 patent challenges.

Talon Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $995,000.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $144.02. 8,677,875 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,743,099. The business's 50-day moving average price is $136.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.26. The company has a market cap of $355.33 billion, a PE ratio of 115.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target for Merck (MRK) from $150 to $172 and maintained a “Buy” rating, implying substantial upside from the recent share price. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim also increased its Merck price target to $170, reinforcing the view that the company’s pipeline, newer medicines and potential cancer-drug combinations can support growth beyond Keytruda. Guggenheim increases Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its development pipeline and commercial portfolio to reduce reliance on Keytruda ahead of its 2028 patent and exclusivity challenges. This provides a longer-term growth narrative, although execution and successful launches remain important. Merck pipeline and new drugs
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s stock attracted significant investor attention, but the coverage offers limited new fundamental information. Separately, broader pharmaceutical discussion highlighted manufacturing hurdles for personalized cancer vaccines and risks surrounding confidential industry information. Merck and cancer-vaccine risks
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Merck’s valuation looks demanding relative to its growth rate and to faster-growing peers such as Eli Lilly. Those concerns, combined with the future Keytruda revenue gap, likely contributed to the recent weakness despite higher analyst targets. Merck valuation versus Eli Lilly

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. 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.

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