Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,500,619 shares of the company's stock after selling 42,778 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp owned approximately 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $192,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $152.43 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $154.49. The firm has a market cap of $376.07 billion, a PE ratio of 121.94, a P/E/G ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.19. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business's 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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 several research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $144.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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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