China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 19,894 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• China Universal Asset Management cut its stake in Merck (MRK) by 63.3% in Q4, selling 19,894 shares and leaving 11,512 shares worth about $1.223 million.
• Merck recently beat Q4 estimates (EPS $2.04 vs. $2.01; revenue $16.40B vs. $16.19B), set FY‑2026 guidance of 5.000–5.150 EPS, and carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $128.47 price target.
• Significant insider selling has occurred—CMO and CFO sold sizable stakes (20,000 and 41,997 shares respectively) and insiders have offloaded 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) in the past 90 days, while insiders own just 0.13% of the stock.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 63.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,512 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,894 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. DLD Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock worth $1,733,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,112 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock worth $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock worth $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,945,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $876,600,000 after purchasing an additional 209,759 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $111.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $276.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $118.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.47.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year, enterprise‑wide partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and advanced cloud infrastructure for drug discovery, manufacturing and operations — a strategic move that could improve R&D productivity and long‑term margins. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Merck won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a potential near‑term upsid e for oncology revenue if approved, supporting key growth drivers beyond vaccines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval momentum: the company secured FDA approval for Idvynso (doravirine + islatravir) for HIV‑1 treatment, and is cited among defensive/counter‑cyclical stock picks — positives for investor sentiment and diversification of approved products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Progress on M&A: the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired for Merck’s tender offer to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, clearing an antitrust procedural hurdle and bringing the acquisition closer to closing — strategic but not immediately earnings‑material. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines headwinds: reports highlight a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan, which pressures MRK’s vaccines revenue into the upcoming Q1 results and raises downside risk to top‑line guidance if the trend persists. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst expectations: several analyst notes expect a decline in Q1 earnings and flag that Merck may lack the near‑term drivers for an earnings beat — this raises the risk of downside surprise and explains short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. This represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% 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 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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