First Bank & Trust Buys Shares of 6,002 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

First Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th 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. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7,567.9% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 489,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,726,000 after buying an additional 482,829 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% during the second quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,599 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the period. Finally, North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the second quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. 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: Merck agreed to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals for $53.00 per share (~$6.7B) to add TERN-701, an allosteric BCR::ABL1 candidate for chronic myeloid leukemia — seen as a strategic, near-term pipeline boost ahead of Keytruda patent risk. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals press release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight TERN-701’s disruptive potential in CML; some firms say the deal strengthens Merck’s long-term oncology franchise and could be accretive if the asset delivers. Health Care Roundup: Market Talk
• Positive Sentiment: Broker action: Citi recently raised its price target on MRK to $125 (from $120), signaling continued analyst support amid the M&A and pipeline moves. Citi Raises its Price Target on Merck
• Positive Sentiment: Market backdrop helped equities broadly: risk-on sentiment (hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East) and lower oil prices supported healthcare stocks, including MRK. Equities Rise, Oil Dips as Traders Weigh Prospects of Iran War Ceasefire
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck announced a multi‑year collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics on IBD target discovery (potential upside, but long‑term and milestone‑driven). Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck hosted/announced investor and M&A calls to discuss the transaction and strategy — useful for details but not an immediate catalyst beyond confirmation of deal terms. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) M&A Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Deal risks: reporting notes potential for a bidding contest or activist interest — that could raise acquisition cost or create execution risk; investors may watch for how Merck finances / integrates the asset. Why Merck Might Have A Fight On Its Hands With Its $6.7 Billion Takeover Of Terns

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $119.33 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $295.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $116.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.44.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.13.

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.