Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stake Lowered by King Luther Capital Management Corp

Key Points

• King Luther Capital Management reduced its Merck stake by 2% in the fourth quarter, selling 19,710 shares and leaving it with 983,107 shares worth about $103.5 million.
• Merck continues to attract strong institutional interest overall, with 76.07% of shares held by institutions and major firms like Vanguard, Fisher, and Invesco increasing their positions.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: several firms raised targets or upgraded the stock, and Merck’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $128.18.

King Luther Capital Management Corp cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 983,107 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,710 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $103,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 24,873,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,618,166,000 after purchasing an additional 805,201 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,733,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MRK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Guggenheim increased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $119.75 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $295.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s Keytruda combination with Padcev received support from Europe’s CHMP for certain bladder cancer patients, which could broaden use of one of Merck’s most important cancer franchises and support future revenue growth. Article: MRK Stock Gains After CHMP Backs Keytruda Combo for Bladder Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also announced a regular third-quarter 2026 dividend, reinforcing its appeal as a large-cap healthcare income stock. Article: Merck Announces Third-Quarter 2026 Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A separate collaboration announcement with Adcendo highlights continued external development activity around KEYTRUDA, keeping Merck’s immuno-oncology platform in the spotlight. Article: Adcendo ApS Announces Clinical Collaboration and Supply Agreement with MSD
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles mention Merck in the context of broader biotech and industry news, including Janux Therapeutics and a global IVP assay repository initiative, but these do not appear to be direct fundamental drivers for MRK shares. Article: Here's Why You Should Add JANX Stock to Your Portfolio Now Article: Zifo, Pistoia Alliance, and Pharma Majors Launch Global IVP Assay Repository
• Negative Sentiment: A Minnesota jury found Merck liable in a mesothelioma-related talc lawsuit, renewing investor concerns about legal risks and potential future damages tied to the company’s legacy talc litigation. Article: Merck Talc Verdict Adds Fresh Liability Question For High Flying Shares

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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