State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $90.55 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D trimmed its Merck stake by 2.1% in Q4, selling 18,294 shares and now holding 860,235 shares valued at about $90.55 million per its SEC filing.
• Merck beat Q1 EPS expectations and reported ~5% revenue growth driven by Keytruda and newer products, raised FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to 5.040–5.160, and carries an analysts' consensus of a Moderate Buy with a $128.47 target.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently—320,176 shares worth roughly $38.28 million were sold over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with just 0.17% ownership.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 860,235 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,294 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $90,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% in the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on MRK. TD Cowen raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $111.44 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock's fifty day moving average is $117.94 and its 200-day moving average is $107.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.31) by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck beat EPS expectations for Q1, reporting ($1.28) per share vs. consensus ($1.31) and showed strong profitability metrics (high ROE and a healthy net margin). The company published a press release and slide deck with details. View Press Release View Slide Deck
• Positive Sentiment: Sales rose ~5% with continued strong demand for Keytruda and growth from newer products; management raised its adjusted-profit outlook, which supports investor confidence in organic growth. Merck beats quarterly estimates on strength of Keytruda and new products, narrows outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating on MRK, which can provide incremental investor support. Guggenheim Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued a formal Q1 financial-results release summarizing regulatory approvals and clinical milestones; useful for context but largely reiterative of earnings highlights. Business Wire Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party commentary and valuation pieces note a recent pullback and longer-term gains — these frame investor sentiment but don't change fundamentals immediately. Assessing Merck (MRK) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And Long Term Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Merck posted a GAAP quarterly loss due to an acquisition-related charge tied to Cidara, which offset operational sales gains and introduces near-term earnings volatility. Merck posts quarterly loss due to Cidara charge, sales rise 5%
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts (Erste Group) trimmed FY2026/2027 EPS forecasts slightly, reflecting caution around guidance narrowing and one‑time charges — a modest headwind for sentiment. (Analyst note reported by MarketBeat)

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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