Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 747,581 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,307 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $62,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after buying an additional 5,135,748 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,540,145,000 after buying an additional 5,094,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reported takeover talks to buy cancer drug developer Revolution Medicines add potential strategic upside to Merck’s oncology pipeline and could be seen as an accretive deal if completed. Merck in talks to buy biotech Revolution Medicines, FT reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst moves lifted sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded MRK to outperform with a $135 target and UBS raised its target to $130 (buy), signaling meaningful upside in Street expectations. (Benzinga coverage) Analyst upgrades and price target changes
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a Phase 3 trial (KANDLELIT-007) for calderasib (MK-1084) combined with KEYTRUDA in KRAS G12C NSCLC — a meaningful clinical advance that supports long-term oncology revenue potential. Merck Initiates Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck moved to complete its acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, expanding its infectious-disease pipeline and near-term product/technology set. Merck to Complete Acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck urged that U.S. changes to the childhood immunization schedule be science-led after the CDC trimmed some universal recommendations—this underscores policy risk/uncertainty in vaccines but also Merck’s push for data-driven decisions. Merck urges science-led US vaccine schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare sector strength and ETF inflows (Vanguard VHT) are supporting Merck as investors favor undervalued, defensive health names—this macro tailwind helps explain buying interest. Health care sector rally / VHT
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and TV mentions (e.g., Jim Cramer) and recent positive Zacks commentary add retail attention but are informational rather than catalytic. Cramer’s Stop Trading: Merck

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $113.25.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $110.91 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $99.11 and its 200 day moving average is $88.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $275.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $112.90.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.91%.

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.