Independent Advisor Alliance Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,262 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,288 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in 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. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.53.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights strong Keytruda demand and new product launches as key upside drivers into Q4 results, supporting longer‑term revenue growth and helping sentiment today. Buy, Sell or Hold MRK Stock: Key Factors to Watch Before Q4 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Insider/“smart money” activity: Chirfi Guindo bought roughly $1.06M of MRK stock — a buy by an institutional insider can signal confidence and attract momentum buyers. Smart Money Move: Chirfi Guindo Grabs $1.06M Worth Of Merck & Co Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks’ market recap notes MRK outperformed while the broader market dipped, indicating relative strength and sector‑specific buying interest. Why the Market Dipped But Merck (MRK) Gained Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and sector coverage (Globe and Mail) provide mixed, mostly informational views on Merck alongside peers—useful for context but not a clear directional trigger. Analysts Offer Insights on Healthcare Companies: Merck & Company (MRK) and Waters (WAT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional analyst commentary comparing MRK with UnitedHealth provides sector perspective but no new catalyst. Analysts Offer Insights on Healthcare Companies: Merck & Company (MRK) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ primer on Wall Street estimates and key metrics ahead of Q4 is a useful reference for modeling MRK’s upcoming quarter but doesn’t itself move the needle. Curious about Merck (MRK) Q4 Performance? Explore Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes MRK is a trending stock on its platform—higher retail/institutional attention increases liquidity and volatility risk but is not a directional catalyst by itself. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks warns that declining analyst estimates and rising M&A‑related costs could depress near‑term results and investor sentiment—key risk ahead of earnings. Buy, Sell or Hold MRK Stock: Key Factors to Watch Before Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage consensus is an average “Hold” rating, indicating limited near‑term upgrade potential and less bullish analyst conviction. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $110.24 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $105.20 and a 200-day moving average of $91.94. The company has a market cap of $273.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

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.