Capital Research Global Investors Has $193.93 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Capital Research Global Investors cut its Merck stake by 33.3% in Q3, selling 1,151,654 shares and retaining 2,310,615 shares valued at $193.93 million.
• Company insiders sold 320,176 shares (about $38.28 million) in the last quarter — including sizable sales by CMO Chirfi Guindo and EVP Jennifer Zachary — while institutional investors hold roughly 76% of the stock.
• Analysts show a Moderate Buy consensus with a $125.88 target; Merck recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, issued FY2026 guidance of $5.00–$5.15, and pays a $0.85 quarterly dividend (≈2.9% yield).

Capital Research Global Investors lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 33.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,310,615 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,151,654 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.09% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $193,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive late‑stage clinical results across oncology and HIV programs — Phase 3 data for KEYTRUDA and WELIREG showed improved survival/expanded indications in kidney, ovarian and bladder cancer, and Merck highlighted progress on its DOR/ISL HIV program; these outcomes support revenue growth potential from high‑margin specialty drugs. Merck Trial Wins Shape Oncology And HIV Prospects For Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings and guidance remain supportive — Merck posted an EPS beat and set FY2026 guidance, which underpins expectations for profitability and cash generation that fund R&D, buybacks, and dividends. (Earnings referenced from Merck’s Feb results.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market reports note expanding markets for several of Merck’s products (neuroendocrine carcinoma, vaccines like Ervebo, M‑M‑R II, and fertility drug Elonva); these reports signal longer‑term TAM expansion but are not near‑term catalysts by themselves. Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Market Poised for Significant Growth Ervebo (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026 M-M-R II (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026 Elonva (Merck & Co) Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term price momentum: recent coverage noted MRK moving higher within the S&P 500 and outperforming the market on some sessions — useful context for market positioning but not a fundamental change. Merck & Co. Moves Higher Within S&P 500 Index Amid Gains Merck (MRK) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution on Winrevair — RBC flagged that Winrevair needs to show at least a 20‑meter improvement on the 6‑minute walk test to build confidence; failure to meet clinically meaningful thresholds could weigh on sentiment for that respiratory program. Merck's Winrevair Must Show Walk Distance Improvement to Build Confidence, RBC Says

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

MRK stock opened at $116.21 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $114.86 and a 200-day moving average of $99.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $287.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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