Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 798,673 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,513 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 2.9% of Donaldson Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Donaldson Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $102,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

MRK opened at $152.43 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $154.49. The company has a market cap of $376.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.94, a PEG ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $128.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.23.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% 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 Moderna reported that their personalized cancer therapy met key Phase 3 goals, improving recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival for high-risk melanoma patients when added to Keytruda. The result is the first major late-stage win for an mRNA cancer vaccine and strengthens the potential for regulatory approval and broader oncology applications. MRK/MRNA's Personalized Cancer Therapy Delivers First Phase III Win
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their outlooks for MRK: Goldman Sachs increased its price target to $160 and kept a Buy rating, while BMO raised its target to $170 and UBS lifted its target to $175. Morgan Stanley also upgraded the shares to Overweight with a $179 target after the cancer-trial success.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see Merck’s newer products, acquired assets and pipeline programs as a potential growth cushion against Keytruda’s eventual patent expiration. The company’s expanding portfolio could help diversify revenue beyond its flagship drug. Can Merck's New Drugs Offer Growth Cushion Ahead of Keytruda LOE?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened investor interest and potential volatility, but it does not by itself establish the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets downgraded Merck to Sector Perform and set a $150 target, arguing that execution risks and the 2028 Keytruda loss of exclusivity are being underestimated. RBC said near-term catalysts are attractive, but the stock’s valuation leaves limited room for additional gains. Merck upgraded at Morgan Stanley after cancer trial win; RBC downgrades
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies separately moved Merck from Strong Buy to Hold. The central concern is that the shares have already rallied substantially on the trial news, making the current valuation appear demanding relative to the remaining patent and execution risks.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $144.10.

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.

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.

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