Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Buys 100,280 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its Merck stake by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 100,280 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 3,163,331 shares valued at about $333.6 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions in MRK, and hedge funds and other institutions now own about 76.07% of the stock.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on Merck, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $128.18, while the company recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,163,331 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 100,280 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.9% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned approximately 0.13% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $333,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock worth $910,000 after acquiring an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock worth $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the second quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock worth $53,918,000 after acquiring an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $113.57 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $280.49 billion, a PE ratio of 31.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company's fifty day moving average price is $116.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.01.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary highlighted that Keytruda drove Merck’s strong first-quarter sales, with revenue topping expectations and sales around $8 billion, reinforcing the drug’s importance to MRK’s 2026 growth outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck said it will present new long-term oncology data and more than 100 abstracts at ASCO 2026, which could keep investor focus on the strength of its cancer portfolio and pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck broadened KEYTRUDA collaboration efforts with partners including Erasca and Inhibrx, signaling continued pipeline development around combination therapies as the company prepares for eventual patent-expiry pressure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One analyst reinstated Merck with a “Neutral” rating and a $125 price target, suggesting the stock may be fairly valued near current levels rather than clearly undervalued or overvalued. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation-focused article noted mixed recent share performance, including short-term weakness despite strong longer-term returns, which may be tempering enthusiasm even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.

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