Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Zuckerman Investment Group LLC

Key Points

• Zuckerman Investment Group cut its stake in Merck by 71.4% in Q3, selling 59,370 shares and leaving 23,770 shares valued at about $1.995 million.
• Merck shows bullish momentum from an unusually large surge in call buying (~672,962 calls) and positive Phase 3 WELIREG data plus regulatory filings and analyst price-target raises that could broaden its oncology growth runway.
• Significant insider selling: EVP Richard Deluca and CEO Robert Davis sold 37,685 and 47,434 shares respectively, and insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares worth roughly $38.3 million in the past 90 days.

Zuckerman Investment Group LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 71.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,770 shares of the company's stock after selling 59,370 shares during the quarter. Zuckerman Investment Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,995,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying: traders bought ~672,962 call options on Friday (a ~1,339% jump vs. typical daily call volume), signaling heavy bullish speculation or hedging interest that can lift near-term implied volatility and upside pressure on MRK shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 3 WELIREG data and regulatory filings deepen Merck’s oncology growth story — new Phase 3 results for belzutifan (WELIREG) combos with KEYTRUDA or LENVIMA show meaningful improvement in RCC; FDA filings with priority reviews/PDUFA dates for 2026 could expand label and revenue runway. Merck’s WELIREG Kidney Cancer Trials Deepen Oncology Growth Story
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price-target raises: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $150 and assigned an overweight rating, and Leerink lifted its target as well — both moves increase institutional demand signals and implied upside for MRK. Benzinga Leerink Raises Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital maintains a Buy rating, reinforcing analyst support and potentially bolstering demand from long-only managers. RBC Capital Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Merck & Company (MRK)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish price commentary: coverage and price-target pieces (e.g., 247WallStreet) argue broader upside (some scenarios to $150) based on drug pipeline potential, supporting a favorable narrative among momentum investors. Merck Price Prediction: Sac-TMT Drug Potential Pushes MRK to $150
• Neutral Sentiment: Market report on Ovidrel/Ovitrelle highlights expanding fertility market opportunities that could be a modest long-term tailwind for related Merck products, but it’s not an immediate revenue catalyst. Ovidrel or Ovitrelle Market Research Report 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Misc. coverage items (e.g., stock-picking lists and unrelated biotech moves) mention MRK in broader contexts but are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. 1 Unpopular Stock That Deserves Some Love and 2 We Avoid ImmunityBio Stock Soars 295% YTD

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $115.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $115.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.84 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Bank of America increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $126.81.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently 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.

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