Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ

Key Points

• Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ boosted its Merck stake by 46.8% in Q4 to 49,900 shares (worth $5.25M), making MRK its 10th largest holding and 1.4% of the fund's portfolio.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently: CEO Robert Davis sold 47,434 shares and EVP Richard Deluca sold 37,685 shares, with insiders offloading a total of 320,176 shares valued at about $38.3M over the past three months (insiders now own 0.13% of the stock).
• Merck announced a multi‑year partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer—potential long‑term positives—yet Gardasil sales weakness and anticipated Q1 earnings declines create near‑term risks; analysts’ consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a $128.47 target.

Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 46.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,900 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,900 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.4% of Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. DLD Asset Management LP boosted 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 worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during 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 period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in 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. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 61.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,325,033 shares of the company's stock worth $446,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,029,342 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.47.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year, enterprise‑wide partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and advanced cloud infrastructure for drug discovery, manufacturing and operations — a strategic move that could improve R&D productivity and long‑term margins. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Merck won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a potential near‑term upsid e for oncology revenue if approved, supporting key growth drivers beyond vaccines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval momentum: the company secured FDA approval for Idvynso (doravirine + islatravir) for HIV‑1 treatment, and is cited among defensive/counter‑cyclical stock picks — positives for investor sentiment and diversification of approved products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Progress on M&A: the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired for Merck’s tender offer to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, clearing an antitrust procedural hurdle and bringing the acquisition closer to closing — strategic but not immediately earnings‑material. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines headwinds: reports highlight a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan, which pressures MRK’s vaccines revenue into the upcoming Q1 results and raises downside risk to top‑line guidance if the trend persists. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst expectations: several analyst notes expect a decline in Q1 earnings and flag that Merck may lack the near‑term drivers for an earnings beat — this raises the risk of downside surprise and explains short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $111.83 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $276.21 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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