Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stake Increased by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc increased its Merck stake by 3.0% in Q4 to 1,299,758 shares (about $136.8M), making MRK its 11th-largest holding and ~1.6% of the fund's portfolio.
• Merck topped Q4 estimates with $2.04 EPS (vs. $2.01) and $16.40B revenue, set FY2026 guidance of 5.000–5.150 EPS, and has drawn analyst upgrades with an average target around $128.47 and a consensus "Moderate Buy."
• The company announced a multi‑year Google Cloud/Gemini AI partnership and won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer as potential upside catalysts, but faces downside risk from falling Gardasil sales in China and Japan and analyst caution about Q1 earnings.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,299,758 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,433 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.6% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $136,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $111.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $276.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.88. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% 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 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.47.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year, enterprise‑wide partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and advanced cloud infrastructure for drug discovery, manufacturing and operations — a strategic move that could improve R&D productivity and long‑term margins. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Merck won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a potential near‑term upsid e for oncology revenue if approved, supporting key growth drivers beyond vaccines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval momentum: the company secured FDA approval for Idvynso (doravirine + islatravir) for HIV‑1 treatment, and is cited among defensive/counter‑cyclical stock picks — positives for investor sentiment and diversification of approved products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Progress on M&A: the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired for Merck’s tender offer to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, clearing an antitrust procedural hurdle and bringing the acquisition closer to closing — strategic but not immediately earnings‑material. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines headwinds: reports highlight a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan, which pressures MRK’s vaccines revenue into the upcoming Q1 results and raises downside risk to top‑line guidance if the trend persists. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst expectations: several analyst notes expect a decline in Q1 earnings and flag that Merck may lack the near‑term drivers for an earnings beat — this raises the risk of downside surprise and explains short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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