Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its Merck stake by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 27,726 more shares and lifting its total to 2,407,392 shares worth about $253.4 million.
• Merck’s recent earnings topped expectations, with $16.29 billion in quarterly revenue and adjusted EPS outperforming analyst estimates, while the company reaffirmed its FY 2026 EPS guidance of 5.04 to 5.16.
• Wall Street sentiment remains generally positive: analysts currently rate Merck a Moderate Buy, with several firms raising price targets, even as the stock has recently traded slightly lower and investors weigh short-term weakness against long-term prospects.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,407,392 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 27,726 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.4% of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.10% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $253,412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in 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 during the period. Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% in the third 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. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted that Keytruda continues to be a major growth driver for Merck, with strong first-quarter sales and potential upside from new indications and combination therapies in 2026. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck is being discussed in a broader biotech/biopharma context, including Veeva’s upcoming summit where Merck will participate in AI and commercial strategy discussions. This is more of an industry event than a direct earnings or pipeline catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate commentary noted that Merck has attracted investor attention on Zacks and that recent share-price performance has been mixed, which may be keeping traders focused on valuation rather than prompting a fresh buy or sell signal. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Another market note said Merck’s short-term momentum has cooled after recent weakness, even though longer-term performance remains strong. That suggests investors are weighing the recent pullback against the company’s solid fundamentals. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, May 1st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $113.21 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $116.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $279.60 billion, a PE ratio of 31.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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