Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Acquired Rep. Robert Bresnahan, Jr.

Representative Robert Bresnahan, Jr. (R-Pennsylvania) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK. In a filing disclosed on May 08th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on April 8th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "JP MORGAN BROKERAGE ACCOUNT" account.

Representative Robert Bresnahan, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META on 4/17/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META on 4/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Western Digital NASDAQ: WDC on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Western Digital NASDAQ: WDC on 4/10/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of DexCom NASDAQ: DXCM on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Invesco NYSE: IVZ on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Generac NYSE: GNRC on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Occidental Petroleum NYSE: OXY on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Pfizer NYSE: PFE on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of QUALCOMM NASDAQ: QCOM on 4/8/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $1.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $75.88. 15,605,903 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,185,772. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $190.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $85.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.82 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.07 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CGN Advisors LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 26,969 shares of the company's stock worth $2,683,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,639 shares of the company's stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. TI Trust Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. TI Trust Inc. now owns 19,834 shares of the company's stock worth $1,973,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 39,989 shares of the company's stock worth $3,978,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 21,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,137,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. TD Securities cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

About Representative Bresnahan

Rob Bresnahan Jr. (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Bresnahan (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Rob Bresnahan Jr. was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. in business administration, management and operations from the University of Scranton in 2012. His career experience includes working as the chief financial officer and CEO of a family business, an electrical contracting company.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.