Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Vanguard Group raised its stake by 0.9% to 254,322,763 shares, now owning about 10.25% of Merck worth roughly $26.77 billion.
• Merck beat quarterly estimates with $2.04 EPS (vs. $2.01) and $16.4B revenue (up 5% YoY), issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.00–5.15, and pays a $0.85 quarterly dividend (~3.0% yield).
• Positive catalysts include a multi‑year partnership with Google Cloud and FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA, but weaker Gardasil sales in China/Japan and analyst caution pose near‑term downside risk.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,185,853 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.25% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $26,770,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the 3rd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of MRK opened at $111.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $276.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year, enterprise‑wide partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini AI and advanced cloud infrastructure for drug discovery, manufacturing and operations — a strategic move that could improve R&D productivity and long‑term margins. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Merck won FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a potential near‑term upsid e for oncology revenue if approved, supporting key growth drivers beyond vaccines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval momentum: the company secured FDA approval for Idvynso (doravirine + islatravir) for HIV‑1 treatment, and is cited among defensive/counter‑cyclical stock picks — positives for investor sentiment and diversification of approved products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Progress on M&A: the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired for Merck’s tender offer to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, clearing an antitrust procedural hurdle and bringing the acquisition closer to closing — strategic but not immediately earnings‑material. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines headwinds: reports highlight a sharp slump in Gardasil sales in China and Japan, which pressures MRK’s vaccines revenue into the upcoming Q1 results and raises downside risk to top‑line guidance if the trend persists. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst expectations: several analyst notes expect a decline in Q1 earnings and flag that Merck may lack the near‑term drivers for an earnings beat — this raises the risk of downside surprise and explains short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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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