Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC Sells 34,557 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 87.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,012 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,557 shares during the quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during 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. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage data: WELIREG® (belzutifan) + LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) cut risk of progression or death by ~30% vs cabozantinib in previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma — strengthens Merck’s portfolio and potential label/market expansion for belzutifan combos. WELIREG® (belzutifan) Plus LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) Reduced the Risk of Disease Progression or Death by 30% Compared to Cabozantinib in Certain Previously Treated Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
• Positive Sentiment: Adjuvant benefit: KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) + WELIREG® showed a ~28% reduction in risk of recurrence or death vs KEYTRUDA alone in certain earlier‑stage RCC patients — could broaden adjuvant use and support longer‑term Keytruda revenue. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus WELIREG® (belzutifan) Given as Adjuvant Therapy Reduced the Risk of Disease Recurrence or Death by 28% Compared to KEYTRUDA Monotherapy in Certain Patients With Earlier-Stage Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA combos show survival gains: Final KEYNOTE‑B96 analysis reported significant overall survival improvement for KEYTRUDA + paclitaxel (± bevacizumab) in platinum‑resistant recurrent ovarian cancer — strengthens case for additional approvals/uses. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Paclitaxel With or Without Bevacizumab Significantly Improved Key Secondary Endpoint of Overall Survival (OS) Versus Paclitaxel With or Without Bevacizumab in Patients With Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Neoadjuvant/adjuvant progress: KEYTRUDA + Padcev reduced event‑free survival events by 47% and deaths by 35% in cisplatin‑eligible muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — another high‑impact potential indication. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Padcev® (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) Reduced Risk of Event-Free Survival Events by 47% and Risk of Death by 35% for Cisplatin-Eligible Patients with Muscle-Invasive-Bladder-Cancer When-Given Before-and-After Surgery
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline collaborations: Synthekine is testing its IL‑2 candidate STK‑012 with Keytruda and chemo in PD‑L1 negative NSCLC — external partnerships expand combo opportunities for Keytruda. Synthekine Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration with Merck to Evaluate STK-012 In Combination with Keytruda® (Pembrolizumab) and Chemotherapy in Ongoing Randomized Phase 2 Trial in First-Line, PD-L1 Negative Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage support: Royal Bank of Canada began coverage and publicly said Merck could return to growth sooner than the market expects — can lift sentiment and estimates. RBC Capital Sees Merck (MRK) Returning to Growth Sooner Than Market Expects
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate restructure: Merck is reorganizing into Oncology and Specialty/Pharma & Infectious Diseases teams ahead of Keytruda’s patent cliff — strategic but execution and cost implications will determine investor reaction. Merck Reshapes Drug Business As Keytruda Era Nears Turning Point
• Negative Sentiment: Gardasil sales weakness: Merck notified layoffs of ~150 workers at a US Gardasil manufacturing site amid sluggish Gardasil sales — signals vaccine revenue pressure even as cost cuts are implemented. Merck to lay off around 150 employees at US site amid slump in Gardasil sales
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment cooling: Coverage notes Reddit trader enthusiasm has faded recently — a minor headwind to retail‑driven momentum but unlikely to change fundamentals. Merck Stock Jumps But Reddit Traders Are Getting Cold Feet

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

In other news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $123.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $305.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $112.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

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.