Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Nisa Investment Advisors cut its Merck position by 3.2%, selling 20,928 shares and retaining 628,453 shares valued at approximately $91.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 17 Buy ratings and 10 Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $151.92.
• Merck’s newer cancer treatments and melanoma results could help offset future Keytruda patent pressure, while the company offers a quarterly dividend of $0.85, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 2.3%.

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 628,453 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,928 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $91,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Guggenheim increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Barclays upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s newer cancer treatments and encouraging Phase 3 melanoma results may help broaden its oncology franchise and reduce reliance on Keytruda. Investors are assessing whether these products can become meaningful growth drivers before Keytruda faces patent-related competition. How Investors Are Reacting To Merck Phase 3 Melanoma Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s diversified drug portfolio, research investments and dividend—approximately a 2.4% yield—provide support for investors seeking income while waiting for newer therapies to offset future Keytruda pressure. Merck also previously raised its 2026 sales outlook. Merck’s 2.4% Dividend Yield
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Silence Therapeutics for approximately $1.3 billion in cash, including $20 per American depositary share. The deal could strengthen the German company’s pipeline, but Merck KGaA is a separate company from U.S.-listed Merck & Co. (MRK), so the transaction does not directly affect MRK’s earnings or stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda’s concentration creates a significant patent-cliff risk. New treatments must scale rapidly enough to replace a large portion of sales and profits when competition arrives, adding uncertainty to Merck’s valuation and long-term growth outlook. Merck Has New Cancer Treatments
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MRK, indicating some short-term institutional or systematic selling pressure despite the company’s underlying growth initiatives. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $148.19 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $146.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.67. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $365.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.55, a PEG ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck's principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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