Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Sells 10,871 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Hanson & Doremus trimmed its Merck stake by 15.7%, selling 10,871 shares to hold 58,591 shares worth $6.17 million, with MRK representing 0.7% of the fund’s holdings (its 24th largest position).
• Merck posted Q earnings of $2.04 EPS (vs. $2.01 est.) and $16.4B revenue, set FY2026 guidance of 5.00–5.15 EPS, and declared a $0.85 quarterly dividend (2.8% yield).
• Significant insider selling was reported—insiders sold 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) over the last three months, leaving insiders with just 0.13% ownership.

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,591 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,871 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.7% of Hanson & Doremus Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,167,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Abound Wealth Management raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company's stock worth $1,488,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company's stock worth $548,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company's stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $120.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $298.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $117.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was 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 owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: EU approval expands KEYTRUDA use to PD‑L1 positive, platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer — opens a new commercial indication in Europe for an established franchise, which can drive incremental revenue and utilization in a high‑unmet‑need setting. Merck Broadens Cancer And Eye Disease Pipeline As Investors Weigh Future Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial of MK‑8748 (Tiespectus) for wet AMD — a promising ophthalmology program that, if successful, adds a non‑oncology growth vector and diversifies long‑term revenue streams. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial Evaluating MK-8748 (Tiespectus)
• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 CORALreef results for oral PCSK9 inhibitor (enlicitide decanoate) — if approved, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in cardiovascular prevention and complement existing lipid therapies. Merck (MRK) Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data for WINREVAIR released — adds evidence to a respiratory program that management can highlight to investors as part of a broader R&D pipeline story. Merck & Co. (MRK) Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA acquisition of JSR chromatography business noted in the press — this concerns Merck KGaA (a different company) and is unlikely to meaningfully affect Merck & Co.’s (MRK) near‑term fundamentals. Merck KGaA acquires JSR chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: New proposal from former President Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on imported medicines (with carve‑outs) increases regulatory and pricing uncertainty for the sector; even with exemptions, the proposal raises near‑term headline risk and could pressure sentiment toward large pharma names like MRK until policy clarity emerges. Trump Unveils Up to 100% Tariffs on Imported Medicines With Key Exemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Sector policy debate over drug‑pricing deals continues (Lilly warns against locking pricing deals into law) — ongoing political scrutiny increases the chance of policy actions that could cap pricing or change reimbursement, a headwind for long‑term margin visibility. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.13.

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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