Truist Financial Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Truist Financial increased its Merck stake by 23.9% in Q4, adding 395,679 shares to hold 2,048,821 shares worth roughly $215.7 million.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: EVP Richard Deluca sold ~37,685 shares (~$4.56M) and EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.49M), with insiders offloading 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) over the past 90 days.
• Merck beat Q1 revenue and adjusted EPS expectations (driven by Keytruda and Winrevair) and secured new regulatory approvals, but reported a GAAP loss tied to a Cidara-related charge and gave FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $5.04–$5.16.

Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 23.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,048,821 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 395,679 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned 0.08% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $215,659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after acquiring an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock worth $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% 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: Q1 results beat expectations — Merck posted revenue and adjusted EPS above Street forecasts with Keytruda and Winrevair driving growth; the beats and upbeat commentary lifted investor sentiment. Merck tops Q1 estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approvals & pipeline progress expand addressable markets — Merck won FDA approval for a new 2‑drug HIV regimen (IDVYNSO) and EC approval for ENFLONSIA for RSV prevention; the company also dosed the first patient in Phase 3 enpatoran lupus trials, adding long‑term growth optionality. Merck expands beyond oncology
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst action mixed — Wells Fargo trimmed its price target to $145 but kept an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence despite a modestly lower PT. Wells Fargo lowers PT
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance and outlook — Merck provided EPS guidance of $5.04–$5.16 and a narrowed sales view ($65.8B–$67.0B). Guidance is close to consensus but tighter ranges mean less revenue upside visibility near term. Merck Q1 financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context — Biotech peers are mixed (Moderna saw vaccine revenue rebound but its stock fell; Organon missed), so some moves reflect broader healthcare rotation rather than Merck‑specific news. Moderna Covid vaccine drives growth
• Negative Sentiment: Acquisition-related charge produced a GAAP loss — A Cidara-related charge drove a quarterly GAAP loss, which clouds headline profitability despite the operational beat. Merck posts quarterly loss due to Cidara charge
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term growth risks flagged — Coverage noted potential future pressure from lost sales on some products (e.g., competitive threats to Keytruda, HPV and diabetes medicines) and Merck said it is working on mitigations. That risk keeps some investors cautious. Merck stock falls after earnings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $112.30 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.63, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 26.84%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.9 earnings per share 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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