U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Has $6.56 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its Merck stake by 60.8%, buying 23,557 shares to hold 62,278 shares worth about $6.56 million, as institutional investors collectively own roughly 76.07% of MRK.
• Large insider selling: CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares (~$5.6M) and EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.5M); insiders have sold 320,176 shares (~$38.3M) over 90 days and now own just 0.09% of the company.
• Analysts have grown more positive—several upgrades and price-target raises (e.g., Deutsche Bank $150, Barclays $140) give Merck a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $127.59 target; the company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, set FY2026 guidance of 5.00–5.15 EPS, and pays a $0.85 quarterly dividend (2.8% yield).

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 60.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 62,278 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 23,557 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company's stock worth $6,407,000 after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company's stock worth $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company's stock worth $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company's stock worth $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MRK opened at $121.41 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month 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 market capitalization of $299.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $119.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. One 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 a consensus price target of $127.59.

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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