Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Has $7.92 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 94,308 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,269 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 378.5% during the 1st quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 45,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,115,000 after acquiring an additional 35,952 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $285,000. SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,213,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 617.0% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 2,647 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $130 and reiterated a “buy” rating, implying ~20% upside and signaling stronger analyst confidence in Merck’s outlook. UBS Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated the Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 trial for calderasib (MK-1084) in combination with KEYTRUDA for KRAS G12C-mutant advanced NSCLC — a meaningful pipeline advancement that could expand oncology revenue if successful. Phase 3 Trial Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is set to complete the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, adding antifungal assets/technology that could be complementary to Merck’s anti-infectives portfolio. M&A typically supports medium-term growth expectations. Cidara Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate PR: Dr. Rasha Kelej of the Merck Foundation was named one of the “100 Most Influential Africans,” a reputational positive though with limited direct market impact. Merck Foundation Recognition
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup nudged its target up to $110 but kept a “neutral” rating — a modest signal that some analysts see limited near-term upside. Citi Target Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck scheduled its Q4 & full‑year 2025 sales and earnings call for Feb. 3 — a key upcoming catalyst where management guidance and pipeline updates could move the stock. Earnings Call Notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundup and industry pieces (Benzinga, Zacks, 247WallStreet) are circulating, with some buy-the-dip commentary on medical stocks; these drive attention but contain mixed buy/hold views for MRK. Analyst Roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent move: a former Merck vaccines president was named CEO at Vaxxas — notable for industry dynamics but not a direct negative for Merck. Vaxxas Appointment
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/market risk: reporting that the U.S. trimmed the childhood vaccine schedule to 11 core shots raises near-term demand concerns for vaccine makers, a potential headwind for Merck’s vaccine revenue. Vaccine Schedule Report

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.80.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $108.52 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $98.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market cap of $269.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $111.46.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.91%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.