LS Investment Advisors LLC Has $2.88 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• LS Investment Advisors cut its Merck stake by 28.1% in the second quarter, selling 8,755 shares and retaining 22,418 shares valued at approximately $2.88 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic: Fifteen analysts rate the stock Buy and seven rate it Hold, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $135.50.
• Merck exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue rising 5.1% year over year to $16.61 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, while recent executive selling and future Keytruda patent expiration remain factors for investors to monitor.

LS Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 28.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,418 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,755 shares during the quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company's stock worth $12,737,504,000 after buying an additional 1,859,990 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock worth $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company's stock worth $6,307,572,000 after buying an additional 249,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,731,018,000 after acquiring an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $135.50.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $135.78 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $135.97. The company has a market cap of $334.98 billion, a PE ratio of 108.62, a P/E/G ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher valuations: Daiwa Securities upgraded MRK from “neutral” to “outperform” and set a $143 price target. Other analysts have raised fair-value estimates into the $140–$155 range, citing pipeline progress, business-development activity and late-stage therapies. Daiwa Securities upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Business momentum remains supportive: MRK recently touched a record high, while Keytruda demand, oncology products, new launches and Animal Health helped drive quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, above the $16.37 billion consensus estimate. The company also exceeded earnings expectations and reported 5.1% year-over-year revenue growth. Merck fair value and pipeline progress
• Positive Sentiment: Income and diversification appeal: Merck declared its regular $0.85 quarterly dividend, or $3.40 annualized, while potential expansion of ENFLONSIA for RSV prevention could broaden growth beyond oncology.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling warrants monitoring: EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares for $1.35 million, following substantial sales by executives Jennifer Zachary and Richard Deluca. Each executive retained a meaningful stake, so the transactions may reflect personal financial decisions rather than a deteriorating outlook. Merck insider selling report
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda concentration is a future risk: Patent expiration and increasing competition could pressure Merck’s largest growth driver. Investors will need evidence that the pipeline and newer products can offset eventual Keytruda sales declines. Keytruda growth outlook

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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