US Bancorp DE Cuts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE trimmed its Merck stake by 3.2% in Q4, selling 52,426 shares and ending the quarter with 1,580,821 shares valued at $166,398,000.
• Merck slightly beat Q1 EPS expectations (reported ($1.28) vs. consensus ($1.31)), with ~5% sales growth driven by Keytruda and newer products and a raised adjusted-profit outlook, but a GAAP loss tied to the Cidara acquisition introduces near-term volatility.
• Insiders sold 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) over the last three months, cutting insider ownership to 0.17%, while major institutions (e.g., Vanguard, DLD) increased holdings and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $128.47.

US Bancorp DE lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,580,821 shares of the company's stock after selling 52,426 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $166,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,733,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,112 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. One equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.47.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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)

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $110.68 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $273.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company's 50-day moving average price is $117.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.31) by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 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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