M&T Bank Corp Sells 1,452,939 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp cut its Merck stake by 96.9% in Q4, selling 1,452,939 shares and leaving 45,898 shares valued at about $5.12 million.
• Merck announced a multi‑year Google Cloud/Gemini AI partnership and won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer—providing growth catalysts—while facing near‑term risk from a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers (including EVP and CFO sales), with insiders disposing of 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) in the last 90 days, even as analysts collectively rate MRK a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $128.47.

M&T Bank Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 96.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,898 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,452,939 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd 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 position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. 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 research report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup increased their target price on 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, Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $111.83 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $276.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $118.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.88. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during 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%.The business's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

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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