Certuity LLC Has $2.28 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Certuity LLC boosted its stake in Merck by 47.5% in Q3, buying 8,746 shares to hold 27,171 shares worth about $2.28 million.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers recently — insiders disposed of 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) in the last three months, including EVP Jennifer Zachary's sale of 121,573 shares for roughly $14.49M.
• Merck beat Q results (EPS $2.04 vs. $2.01; revenue $16.40B vs. $16.19B), set FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.00–5.15, announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend (2.9% yield), and carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $126.81 target.

Certuity LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 47.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,171 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,746 shares during the period. Certuity LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company's stock worth $4,263,991,000 after acquiring an additional 4,636,183 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company's stock worth $2,139,901,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,013,697 shares of the company's stock worth $1,980,084,000 after purchasing an additional 567,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $116.03 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $286.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $115.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.81.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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