Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Corient Private Wealth LP

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LP reduced its Merck stake by 1.5% in the second quarter, selling 36,963 shares and retaining 2.39 million shares valued at approximately $307.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Merck insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million during the past quarter, including sizable sales by executives Jennifer Zachary and Richard Deluca.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, ahead of estimates, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $151.32. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, yielding about 2.3% annually.

Corient Private Wealth LP lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,391,313 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,963 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP owned 0.10% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $307,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company's stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: HSBC lifted its target from $150 to $172 and maintained a “buy” rating, while Guggenheim raised its target to $170. Leerink Partners also increased its target from $127 to $161 and assigned an “outperform” rating. These revisions indicate continued confidence in Merck’s earnings potential and pipeline. Guggenheim Increases Merck Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline strategy may help address Keytruda risks: Merck is pairing antibody-drug conjugates with Keytruda in women’s cancer treatments, an effort to expand its oncology franchise and offset the eventual impact of Keytruda’s patent cliff. Merck Pairs ADCs With Keytruda
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are reassessing Merck’s valuation: A comparison with Eli Lilly highlights that Merck is trading at a higher valuation despite its slower expected growth, prompting questions about whether its pipeline, cash generation and defensive characteristics justify the premium. Merck Stock Versus Eli Lilly
• Neutral Sentiment: Market attention remains elevated: Merck was among the stocks most watched by Zacks users, suggesting strong investor interest but not necessarily a change in fundamentals. Merck Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Shares declined with the broader market and underperformed during the session: The trading update provided no new company-specific catalyst, leaving valuation concerns and the Keytruda patent-cliff debate as the primary pressures on the stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $144.68 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $356.96 billion, a PE ratio of 115.75, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Barclays raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.32.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck's pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

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