Lbp Am Sa Has $39.73 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Lbp Am Sa cut its Merck stake by 22.3%, selling 108,415 shares to finish the quarter with 377,424 shares worth $39.73 million.
• Merck beat Q4 estimates (EPS $2.04 vs. $2.01; revenue $16.40B vs. $16.19B), set FY‑2026 guidance of $5.00–$5.15 EPS, and pays a $0.85 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.40, ~2.9% yield).
• Near‑term outlook shows upside and risks: the FDA granted priority review for Merck/Daiichi’s ifinatamab deruxtecan (a potential oncology growth driver) and analysts have raised targets (MarketBeat consensus: “Moderate Buy”, target $128.47), while notable insider selling and scrutiny over Keytruda pricing pose downside risks.

Lbp Am Sa lowered its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 377,424 shares of the company's stock after selling 108,415 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $39,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP raised its stake 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 last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock worth $1,733,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,112 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock worth $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock worth $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,945,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $876,600,000 after buying an additional 209,759 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.6%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $118.07 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $291.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.51.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend was 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%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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 approximately $9,825,356.20. This 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 three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One 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. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.47.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants priority review to Merck and Daiichi’s BLA for ifinatamab deruxtecan in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer — this accelerates the regulatory timeline for a potentially material oncology asset and could add to future revenue if approved. MRK, Daiichi's BLA for ADC Drug Gets FDA Priority Tag in Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $145, signaling bullish analyst sentiment and providing support for longer‑term upside relative to current levels. UBS Group Boosts Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK Price Target to $145.00
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda remains the primary growth driver (over half of pharma sales); analysts will be watching Q1 results and guidance for continued uptake from new indications — a clean print would likely stabilize the stock. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck's Top Line in Q1 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/technical coverage: a retail/options piece outlines a bullish diagonal trade targeting $130 by mid‑June — this reflects trader optimism but is speculative and not company‑fundamental. This Merck (MRK) stock bullish diagonal trade targets a price of $130 by June 18
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry tailwinds in animal health highlighted in a market report (Merck’s animal-health unit participates in this market), a long‑term positive structural theme but not an immediate catalyst. Animal Health Market Intelligence Report 2026-2034
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about Merck KGaA XTRA: MRK appears in the news stream — note this is a different company (German Merck), which can cause ticker confusion among retail investors but does not affect Merck & Co.’s fundamentals. Assessing Merck KGaA XTRA: MRK Valuation After Mixed Recent Share Performance And Healthcare Pipeline Developments
• Negative Sentiment: Media scrutiny of Merck’s patent strategies and pricing for Keytruda (USAToday feature) can increase regulatory and reputational risk; that scrutiny can weigh on sentiment and prompt selling or political/regulatory pressure. How Merck keeps prices for its blockbuster cancer drug sky high
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price weakness / market reaction: recent intraday moves show MRK underperforming broader indices, reflecting profit‑taking and caution ahead of earnings/updates. Merck (MRK) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why

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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