Global Retirement Partners LLC Acquires New Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Global Retirement Partners acquired 78,760 Merck shares during the second quarter, worth approximately $10.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s outstanding stock.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding expectations, while EPS also topped estimates. Revenue increased 5.1% year over year, and the company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.66–$2.76.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $144.10. Merck also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, representing a 2.3% yield, while insiders have sold nearly $30 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 78,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,121,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth 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 stake 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 buying an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $150.67 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $154.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $128.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.53. The company has a market cap of $371.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.54, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction 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 represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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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