OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd Has $4.84 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp cut its Merck stake by 30.5% in Q4, holding 45,961 shares worth about $4.84 million after selling 20,168 shares.
• Merck and Eisai reported a clinical setback: their combination therapy failed to meet primary endpoints in the late‑stage LITESPARK‑012 trial for advanced renal cell carcinoma, prompting near‑term uncertainty and selling pressure.
• Company insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 320,176 shares worth roughly $38.28 million in the last 90 days, including EVP Jennifer Zachary’s sale of 121,573 shares for about $14.49 million.

OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 30.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,961 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,168 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,735,459 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 61.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,325,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,930,000 after acquiring an additional 2,029,342 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,973,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. The trade was a 41.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $112.63 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company's fifty day moving average price is $119.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.48. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a market cap of $278.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.47, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. The business's 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. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.47.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approves IDVYNSO (doravirine/islatravir), a once‑daily two‑drug HIV single‑tablet regimen for virologically suppressed adults — adds a new, potentially valuable HIV product to Merck’s commercial portfolio. FDA Approves Merck's Once-Daily IDVYNSO™ (doravirine/islatravir)
• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants priority review to supplemental BLAs for KEYTRUDA (and KEYTRUDA QLEX) in combination with Padcev for cisplatin‑eligible muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a regulatory fast track that could meaningfully expand Keytruda’s labeled uses if approved. FDA Grants Priority Review for KEYTRUDA® … with Padcev®
• Positive Sentiment: EU approves ENFLONSIA for infant RSV protection — another vaccine/antibody approval that broadens Merck’s preventive‑care offerings and potential pediatric revenue streams. Merck Wins EU Approval for ENFLONSIA to Protect Infants from RSV
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck launched a portfolio of bio‑based HPLC solvents (sustainability / product‑line extension) — small commercial impact but supportive of ESG/industrial positioning. Merck Launches First Bio-Based Solvent Portfolio for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
• Negative Sentiment: Merck/Eisai combination therapy in advanced renal cell carcinoma failed to meet primary endpoints in a late‑stage study — a significant clinical setback that likely prompted today’s selling pressure and raises questions about near‑term oncology growth assumptions. Merck-Eisai's combination cancer therapy fails to meet main goals of late-stage study
• Negative Sentiment: Corporate update on the Phase 3 LITESPARK‑012 trial (Merck/Eisai) accompanies the failure, reinforcing the clinical disappointment and near‑term uncertainty for that program. Merck and Eisai Provide Update on Phase 3 LITESPARK-012 Trial

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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