Legal & General Group Plc Has $2.08 Billion Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc cut its Merck stake by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, but still held nearly 19.8 million shares valued at about $2.08 billion. Merck remains one of the firm’s largest holdings.
• Merck’s oncology pipeline is drawing attention after encouraging late-stage data for a Keytruda combination in lung cancer and a positive EU opinion for Keytruda + Padcev in bladder cancer. These developments could help expand future sales as Keytruda faces eventual patent pressure.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on MRK, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy. The stock also traded near its 52-week high after the company beat quarterly revenue expectations and reported strong guidance.

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,776,842 shares of the company's stock after selling 882,315 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.5% of Legal & General Group Plc's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.80% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $2,081,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,894,000. Genus Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,837,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 52,485 shares of the company's stock worth $5,525,000 after acquiring an additional 3,434 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 17,556 shares of the company's stock worth $1,848,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. Finally, Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $229,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and partner Sichuan Kelun-Biotech reported encouraging late-stage lung cancer data for a Keytruda combination, with the treatment beating Keytruda alone and improving confidence in Merck’s cancer pipeline. Kelun, Merck's lung cancer combo improves survival in late-stage China trial
• Positive Sentiment: The European Medicines Agency’s CHMP issued a positive opinion for Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for certain bladder cancer patients, which could expand the drug pair’s commercial reach if formally approved. Merck Receives Positive EU CHMP Opinion for KEYTRUDA Plus Padcev
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted positive EU recommendations and trial momentum across Merck’s oncology portfolio, suggesting the company is building new growth drivers ahead of future Keytruda patent pressure. Merck stock jumps as Keytruda combo trials boost cancer pipeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted Gardasil sales remain weak due to soft demand in China and other markets, which is a reminder that Merck still has headwinds outside oncology. Will Weak Gardasil Sales Continue to Ail MRK's Vaccines Sales in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s recent run-up also reflects broader investor optimism after strong quarterly results and improving sentiment around its pipeline, rather than a single one-day event. Merck Stock Climbs on Cancer Data. Why the Drugmaker Is More Than a One-Trick Pony.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE MRK opened at $122.55 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.40 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $302.67 billion, a PE ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.18. The stock's 50 day moving average is $115.92 and its 200 day moving average is $110.41.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.