Apollon Wealth Management LLC Purchases 46,936 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Apollon Wealth Management increased its Merck stake by 48.9% in the third quarter, purchasing 46,936 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 142,977 shares valued at approximately $20.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with 17 Buy, nine Hold and one Sell rating, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $151.92.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, ahead of estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, representing a 2.3% annualized yield. However, investors remain focused on valuation concerns and the future impact of Keytruda’s patent cliff.

Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 48.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 142,977 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 46,936 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,931,000 after acquiring an additional 51,393 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 99,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,578,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,073,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,403,000 after acquiring an additional 227,589 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $794,577,000 after acquiring an additional 402,011 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $145.25 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company's fifty day moving average price is $146.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.24. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $358.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.20, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. 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 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value 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 represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% 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 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.

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