Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Central Pacific Bank Trust Division

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: Central Pacific Bank Trust Division more than doubled its Merck stake to 16,924 shares worth about $2.18 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 76.07% of the company.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: Merck reported $16.61 billion in revenue, up 5.1% year over year and above estimates, while its $0.13 adjusted loss per share was narrower than expected. Keytruda and newer oncology products drove performance, prompting the company to raise its 2026 revenue outlook.
• Profit guidance was reduced: Merck forecast 2026 EPS of $2.66–$2.76, below consensus estimates, due largely to charges tied to its Terns Pharmaceuticals acquisition. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, representing a 2.7% annualized yield.

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 100.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,924 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,487 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after buying an additional 5,152,069 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $128.28 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $316.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a PEG ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.19. 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 one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $135.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $123.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.78.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported second-quarter revenue of $16.61 billion, above the $16.37 billion consensus estimate and up 5.1% year over year. Adjusted loss per share of $0.13 was also better than the expected $0.26 loss. Merck posts better-than-expected second-quarter results on Keytruda strength
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda remained the primary growth engine, while the newer injectable version of the cancer treatment exceeded Wall Street expectations by more than $200 million. Strength in oncology and other newer products helped support the improved sales outlook. The Merck Product That Absolutely Demolished Wall Street's Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Merck raised and narrowed its full-year 2026 revenue forecast to $66.3 billion-$67.3 billion, broadly consistent with the $66.7 billion analyst consensus. Management also highlighted regulatory, clinical and pipeline milestones that could support longer-term growth. MRK Q2 Earnings and Sales Beat Estimates, 2026 Sales View Raised
• Negative Sentiment: Merck cut its 2026 EPS guidance to $2.66-$2.76, well below the $3.42 consensus estimate, because of charges associated with the acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals. The resulting earnings pressure offsets part of the benefit from the stronger sales outlook. Merck hikes revenue outlook but cuts profit guidance due to deal charges

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.50.

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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