Cwm LLC Buys 61,957 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its stake in Merck (NYSE:MRK) by 6.5% in Q4, buying 61,957 shares to hold 1,017,023 shares worth about $107.05 million.
• Institutional ownership stands at 76.07%, with several funds adding to positions—most notably MIRAE ASSET, which added 359,356 shares to reach 681,128 shares—signaling broad institutional accumulation.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive (consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $128.47 target after multiple upgrades), and the FDA has granted priority review to Merck/Daiichi’s ifinatamab deruxtecan BLA, a potential oncology revenue catalyst.

Cwm LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,017,023 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 61,957 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $107,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock worth $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock worth $53,918,000 after purchasing an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants priority review to Merck and Daiichi’s BLA for ifinatamab deruxtecan in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer — this accelerates the regulatory timeline for a potentially material oncology asset and could add to future revenue if approved. MRK, Daiichi's BLA for ADC Drug Gets FDA Priority Tag in Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $145, signaling bullish analyst sentiment and providing support for longer‑term upside relative to current levels. UBS Group Boosts Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK Price Target to $145.00
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda remains the primary growth driver (over half of pharma sales); analysts will be watching Q1 results and guidance for continued uptake from new indications — a clean print would likely stabilize the stock. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck's Top Line in Q1 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/technical coverage: a retail/options piece outlines a bullish diagonal trade targeting $130 by mid‑June — this reflects trader optimism but is speculative and not company‑fundamental. This Merck (MRK) stock bullish diagonal trade targets a price of $130 by June 18
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry tailwinds in animal health highlighted in a market report (Merck’s animal-health unit participates in this market), a long‑term positive structural theme but not an immediate catalyst. Animal Health Market Intelligence Report 2026-2034
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about Merck KGaA XTRA: MRK appears in the news stream — note this is a different company (German Merck), which can cause ticker confusion among retail investors but does not affect Merck & Co.’s fundamentals. Assessing Merck KGaA XTRA: MRK Valuation After Mixed Recent Share Performance And Healthcare Pipeline Developments
• Negative Sentiment: Media scrutiny of Merck’s patent strategies and pricing for Keytruda (USAToday feature) can increase regulatory and reputational risk; that scrutiny can weigh on sentiment and prompt selling or political/regulatory pressure. How Merck keeps prices for its blockbuster cancer drug sky high
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price weakness / market reaction: recent intraday moves show MRK underperforming broader indices, reflecting profit‑taking and caution ahead of earnings/updates. Merck (MRK) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $118.07 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.51. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $291.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s 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. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

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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