Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Invests $1.09 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Greenwood Capital Associates LLC opened a new position in Merck (NYSE:MRK) in Q4, buying 10,346 shares valued at about $1.09 million.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently: EVP Richard Deluca and CEO Robert M. Davis sold large blocks (37,685 and 47,434 shares respectively), and insiders disposed of 320,176 shares totaling about $38.3 million over the past three months.
• Analysts are turning more positive—Deutsche Bank upgraded to a Buy with a $150 target and UBS, RBC and JPMorgan all raised targets—while Merck beat Q4 EPS/revenue and set FY‑2026 guidance of $5.00–$5.15; the stock yields about 2.9%.

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 10,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 23,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,457,000 after purchasing an additional 2,274 shares during the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 14,842 shares of the company's stock worth $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 22,341 shares of the company's stock worth $2,352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 10,822 shares of the company's stock worth $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,017,023 shares of the company's stock worth $107,052,000 after acquiring an additional 61,957 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. 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 note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $115.42 on Friday. 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $119.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.58. The company has a market capitalization of $285.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a PEG ratio of 2.37 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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 the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $145, which is a direct positive signal from a major sell-side firm and can lift investor sentiment. UBS Boosts MRK Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Keytruda as the primary growth driver heading into Q1 results, noting new indications and uptake that could sustain revenue growth — this supports medium-term earnings expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck's Top Line?
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter and technical traders are bullish on MRK; an options/technical piece highlights a bullish diagonal trade targeting $130, reflecting some traders positioning for a near-term rebound. Bullish Diagonal Trade Targets $130
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks/Yahoo attention pieces note MRK is a trending stock and recap key facts (pipeline, Keytruda dependence, valuation) — useful for retail interest but not new company-specific catalysts. Merck Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports cite Merck among major players in the animal-health market outlook — this is incremental, long-term relevance rather than an immediate stock driver. Animal Health Market Intelligence Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Merck KGaA XTRA: MRK valuation can create ticker/name confusion for casual readers but has no direct impact on U.S.-listed Merck & Co. fundamentals. Assessing Merck KGaA Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Other healthcare staffing and small-cap biotech headlines in the feed (Soleo Health, Summit Therapeutics) are peripheral and unlikely to move MRK stock materially. Soleo Health Appointment Summit Therapeutics BLA Acceptance

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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