BG Investment Services LLC Makes New $5.39 Million Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• BG Investment Services initiated a $5.39 million position in Merck, purchasing 37,120 shares during the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of the company.
• Merck insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million over the past quarter, while insiders currently own just 0.17% of the stock.
• MRK recently traded at $145.25, with analysts assigning a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $151.92. Investors remain focused on Keytruda’s growth prospects, its future patent cliff and valuation concerns.

BG Investment Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 37,120 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,394,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company's stock worth $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock worth $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE MRK opened at $145.25 on Friday. 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. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $146.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.17. The company has a market cap of $358.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

More 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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Argus boosted their target price 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, August 25th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.