Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by SVB Wealth LLC

Key Points

• SVB Wealth LLC reduced its Merck stake by 20% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,631 shares and leaving it with 50,478 shares valued at about $5.31 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with 76.07% of Merck’s stock held by hedge funds and other institutional investors, many of which have recently increased their positions.
• Wall Street sentiment is generally positive: Merck has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18, with several firms recently raising targets despite some mixed ratings.

SVB Wealth LLC cut its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,478 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,631 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock worth $2,590,000 after buying an additional 15,636 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MRK. 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. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.18.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck published a landmark Science paper on a new large-scale biocatalytic synthesis method for its investigational oral PCSK9 inhibitor, enlicitide decanoate. The work supports manufacturing scalability for a potential future cardiovascular drug and underscores progress in Merck’s pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also became the sole testing provider for Genetix Biotherapeutics’ FDA-approved gene therapies under a five-year agreement, strengthening its BioReliance services business and adding a recurring commercialization-related revenue stream. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighted Merck as a well-prepared dividend stock despite its upcoming patent cliff, suggesting the market is still weighing long-term earnings durability rather than reacting to a single catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Merck is heading toward a July 27 trial over Gardasil safety claims after the vaccine reached an $8.9 billion sales peak. The litigation risk could weigh on sentiment around one of Merck’s key growth franchises, even though the company continues to defend the product’s safety record. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $111.26 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $274.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The business's 50-day moving average price is $117.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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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