Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Has $262.94 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management cut its Merck stake by 16.9% in Q4, selling 508,157 shares and now holding 2,497,975 shares worth about $262.94 million (≈0.10% of the company).
• Several analysts upgraded Merck recently — including Deutsche Bank to a Buy with a $150 target and Wolfe Research to Outperform at $135 — leaving a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a $127.59 price target.
• Merck beat Q4 expectations with $2.04 EPS (vs. $2.01 est.) and $16.40B revenue, and provided FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.00–$5.15.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,497,975 shares of the company's stock after selling 508,157 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.10% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $262,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 34.6% in the fourth quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,633 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,224,000 after buying an additional 2,988 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 9,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 893 shares during the period. Coerente Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 31,844 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,352,000 after buying an additional 5,441 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 37,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,917,000 after buying an additional 10,305 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.59.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were 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 $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $121.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $299.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.65. 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. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

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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