Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC reduced its Merck stake by 59.7% in the second quarter, selling 8,299 shares and retaining 5,600 shares valued at approximately $720,000. Institutional investors still own 76.07% of MRK.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with 15 analysts rating Merck a Buy and eight a Hold; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $147.60. Recent targets include $170 from Argus and $180 from Wolfe Research.
• Merck’s shares have rallied near their 52-week high amid encouraging cancer-vaccine results and expectations for pipeline catalysts, but future gains depend on clinical and regulatory success. The company also reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, up 5.1% year over year, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share.

Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 59.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,600 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,299 shares during the quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $720,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Cascade Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock worth $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock worth $1,118,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,124,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 9,603 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. Argus increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $147.60.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive topline INTerpath-001 results strengthened expectations that the vaccine could extend KEYTRUDA’s growth runway and create a potentially important new oncology franchise. Merck Surges on a Melanoma Win
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their valuation expectations: Wolfe Research increased its price target to $180 and assigned an “outperform” rating, while Argus raised its target to $170 and reiterated a “buy” rating. Wolfe Research Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also anticipating a concentrated series of regulatory decisions and clinical readouts this fall, which could produce additional upside if Merck’s pipeline delivers. What Would It Take to Get MRK Stock to $200?
• Neutral Sentiment: The cancer-vaccine opportunity remains early. The available evidence is limited, and potential barriers include manufacturing complexity, cost, patient selection, and the need for regulatory review and broader clinical validation. How the Merck/Moderna Cancer Vaccine Works
• Negative Sentiment: After the recent rally, MRK is trading near or above several analysts’ prior targets, leaving less room for disappointment and making future gains increasingly dependent on successful trial results, FDA decisions, and evidence that the post-KEYTRUDA growth strategy can scale.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $156.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $386.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 125.23, a PEG ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $129.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

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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