Kennedy Capital Management LLC Sells 16,448 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Kennedy Capital Management cut its Merck stake by 16.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,448 shares and leaving it with 82,139 shares worth about $8.65 million.
• Merck’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of -$1.28 versus the expected -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year. The company also reiterated FY 2026 EPS guidance of $5.04 to $5.16.
• Investor sentiment remains broadly supportive: Merck continues to receive mostly Buy/Overweight ratings, and the company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, or $3.40 annualized, yielding about 2.9%.

Kennedy Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,139 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,448 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,646,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock worth $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company's stock worth $12,737,504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859,990 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company's stock worth $6,307,572,000 after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP raised 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 worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company's stock worth $4,731,018,000 after purchasing an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $119.05 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $294.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.18.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck Animal Health announced a definitive agreement to acquire TARGAN, a poultry biodevice company, which could strengthen Merck’s animal health division and broaden its technology-driven growth opportunities. Merck Animal Health to Acquire TARGAN
• Positive Sentiment: Merck saw unusually heavy call option buying, with traders purchasing 170,441 calls, a sharp jump versus normal volume that often signals bullish expectations from sophisticated investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a buy rating on Merck, while another article highlighted that Wall Street’s overall bullish view continues to keep MRK on investors’ radar.
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck has also been featured in broader market commentary and “most searched” lists, suggesting rising attention rather than a new fundamental catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Merck’s recent trading uptick but said it lagged the broader market, indicating modest price strength rather than a major breakout. Merck (MRK) Rises Yet Lags Behind Market: Some Facts Worth Knowing

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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