J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC Has $3.02 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• J.P. Marvel cut its Merck stake by 25.9% in Q4, selling 10,000 shares and leaving it with 28,670 shares valued at about $3.02 million.
• Merck announced a multi‑year partnership with Google Cloud (Gemini AI) and won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer, but faces vaccine headwinds from sharply lower Gardasil sales in China and Japan.
• Analysts are broadly constructive — the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $128.47 and several firms lifting targets to $140–$150; Merck issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.00–5.15 and yields about 3.0%.

J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,670 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the period. J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $111.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $276.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year, enterprise‑wide partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and advanced cloud infrastructure for drug discovery, manufacturing and operations — a strategic move that could improve R&D productivity and long‑term margins. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Merck won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a potential near‑term upsid e for oncology revenue if approved, supporting key growth drivers beyond vaccines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval momentum: the company secured FDA approval for Idvynso (doravirine + islatravir) for HIV‑1 treatment, and is cited among defensive/counter‑cyclical stock picks — positives for investor sentiment and diversification of approved products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Progress on M&A: the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired for Merck’s tender offer to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, clearing an antitrust procedural hurdle and bringing the acquisition closer to closing — strategic but not immediately earnings‑material. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines headwinds: reports highlight a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan, which pressures MRK’s vaccines revenue into the upcoming Q1 results and raises downside risk to top‑line guidance if the trend persists. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst expectations: several analyst notes expect a decline in Q1 earnings and flag that Merck may lack the near‑term drivers for an earnings beat — this raises the risk of downside surprise and explains short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were 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 in the company, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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