PFG Advisors Sells 11,759 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• PFG Advisors cut its Merck stake by 30.2%, selling 11,759 shares and leaving it with 27,129 shares worth $2.856 million, part of broader institutional activity (institutions own 76.07% of the stock).
• Merck suffered a significant clinical setback when the Merck/Eisai combination failed the Phase 3 LITESPARK‑012 trial in advanced renal cell carcinoma, but also logged regulatory wins this week including FDA approval of IDVYNSO, a priority review for KEYTRUDA combinations, and EU approval for ENFLONSIA.
• Merck beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.04 vs. $2.01), issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.00–5.15, and pays a $0.85 quarterly dividend (~3.0% yield), while insiders sold roughly 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) in the past 90 days.

PFG Advisors lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 30.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,129 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,759 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,091 shares of the company's stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $217,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $200,000. Stone Summit Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Stone Summit Wealth LLC now owns 12,286 shares of the company's stock worth $1,293,000 after buying an additional 2,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 110.4% during the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 63,287 shares of the company's stock worth $6,662,000 after buying an additional 33,202 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

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

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

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

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the company's 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 directly owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.47.

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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