Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Rathbones Group PLC

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC cut its Merck stake by 36.4% in Q4, selling 148,771 shares and leaving it with 260,490 shares valued at about $27.42 million.
• Merck beat Q results with $2.04 EPS vs. $2.01 est. and $16.40B revenue, set FY2026 guidance of $5.00–$5.15 EPS, and announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend (≈2.8% yield).
• Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) last quarter, while analysts have trended bullish—MarketBeat shows a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average target of $127.13.

Rathbones Group PLC trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 36.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 260,490 shares of the company's stock after selling 148,771 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $27,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $31,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $120.62 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $298.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $117.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business's revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.13.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: EU approval expands KEYTRUDA use to PD‑L1 positive, platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer — opens a new commercial indication in Europe for an established franchise, which can drive incremental revenue and utilization in a high‑unmet‑need setting. Merck Broadens Cancer And Eye Disease Pipeline As Investors Weigh Future Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial of MK‑8748 (Tiespectus) for wet AMD — a promising ophthalmology program that, if successful, adds a non‑oncology growth vector and diversifies long‑term revenue streams. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial Evaluating MK-8748 (Tiespectus)
• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 CORALreef results for oral PCSK9 inhibitor (enlicitide decanoate) — if approved, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in cardiovascular prevention and complement existing lipid therapies. Merck (MRK) Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data for WINREVAIR released — adds evidence to a respiratory program that management can highlight to investors as part of a broader R&D pipeline story. Merck & Co. (MRK) Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA acquisition of JSR chromatography business noted in the press — this concerns Merck KGaA (a different company) and is unlikely to meaningfully affect Merck & Co.’s (MRK) near‑term fundamentals. Merck KGaA acquires JSR chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: New proposal from former President Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on imported medicines (with carve‑outs) increases regulatory and pricing uncertainty for the sector; even with exemptions, the proposal raises near‑term headline risk and could pressure sentiment toward large pharma names like MRK until policy clarity emerges. Trump Unveils Up to 100% Tariffs on Imported Medicines With Key Exemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Sector policy debate over drug‑pricing deals continues (Lilly warns against locking pricing deals into law) — ongoing political scrutiny increases the chance of policy actions that could cap pricing or change reimbursement, a headwind for long‑term margin visibility. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at $8,361,522.15. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.

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