J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Has $96.88 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in Merck by 19.2% in Q4 to 920,425 shares worth about $96.88 million, making MRK its 13th largest holding (1.6% of the fund).
• Multiple institutional investors (e.g., DLD, Arrowstreet, Amundi, Invesco) also boosted positions and overall institutional ownership of Merck stands at 76.07%, signaling broad institutional accumulation.
• Positive catalysts include a late‑stage cholesterol pill cutting LDL by ~64.6% and positive Phase 2 WINREVAIR data, while analysts have lifted price targets to an average of about $127.13; Merck also reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.00–5.15 and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 920,425 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 148,461 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.6% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $96,884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd 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 period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company's stock worth $1,540,145,000 after purchasing an additional 5,094,088 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 192.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,496,664 shares of the company's stock worth $461,335,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618,532 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,532,657 shares of the company's stock worth $1,363,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,941 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.13.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage cholesterol pill delivered large LDL cuts (≈64.6%) and met its head‑to‑head primary endpoint — a potential new blockbuster oral option for lowering “bad” cholesterol that could materially diversify revenue beyond oncology. Merck's drug reduced bad cholesterol by 64.6% in late-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 2 CADENCE results for WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk) showed proof‑of‑concept in combined post‑ and precapillary pulmonary hypertension with HFpEF — opens a foothold in a hard heart‑failure segment and supports pipeline value. How Investors May Respond To Merck (MRK) WINREVAIR Phase 2 Success In Tough Heart Failure Segment
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” and a $142 price target — a sizable upside vs. current levels that can support investor confidence and buying interest. Benzinga coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and media attention (e.g., Jim Cramer’s “stay the course” call) has driven momentum into Merck stock over recent months; that attention can amplify swings but is not a fundamental catalyst. Merck (MRK) Shares Up Significantly Since Jim Cramer Advised to “Stay the Course”
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports list Merck as a major player in the growing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma market — underscores long‑term TAM but not an immediate stock driver. Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) Market Rises to $8.33 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: New FY2026 earnings estimates and coverage updates are circulating (Erste Group Bank note) — watch revisions for guidance confirmation versus management’s FY2026 EPS range. FY2026 Earnings Estimate for MRK Issued By Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis flags an upcoming Keytruda patent cliff and Merck’s aggressive M&A push to refill the revenue gap — a strategic risk that could pressure sentiment if deal execution or integration falls short. Merck: Aggressive M&A Efforts To Prepare For A Keytruda Patent Cliff

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.4%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $117.99 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $291.71 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The firm's fifty day moving average is $116.83 and its 200 day moving average is $102.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS 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 business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was 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 owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at $2,583,278.39. The trade was a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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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