Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA

Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 827,676 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 134,772 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 0.9% of Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $87,121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,733,923,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156,112 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821,766 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 16,532,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,363,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Completed acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ chromatography business broadens Merck’s downstream purification portfolio with next‑generation Protein A chromatography, improving its biomanufacturing offering and positioning it to capture more upstream/downstream spend from biologics manufacturers. Merck Completes Acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ Chromatography Business
• Positive Sentiment: New R&D collaboration with Infinimmune could deliver up to ~$838M in milestones to Merck as it funds discovery of immune cell‑directed antibodies — expands early‑stage pipeline and de‑risks future biologics launches. Infinimmune, Merck enter into antibody discovery pact
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s recent acquisitions and the Terns buy (noted in coverage) signal management’s push to bolster oncology revenue streams — a strategic move that supports longer‑term growth and margin expansion. Merck Just Made a Big Bet on a New Cancer Growth Engine
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada issued an Outperform rating on MRK, which can draw buying interest from institutional investors and supports the stock’s momentum. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Latest quarterly results showed an EPS beat and raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance (5.000–5.150), supporting the view that core operations and margins remain healthy. Merck & Co., Inc. Stock/Results Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlighting Merck as an “affordable” dividend/defensive stock and inclusion in lists of defensive names may increase retail interest but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Why is Merck & Co. (MRK) One of the Best Affordable Stocks to Buy With Good Earnings Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting an expanded collaboration between Tempus AI and Merck highlights partnerships in data/AI, but the near‑term revenue impact for Merck is unclear. Assessing Tempus AI (TEM) Valuation After ALERT Cardiology Trial Results And Expanded Merck Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market pieces (Barclays’ defensive picks, Blackstone fund closing) provide context for investor flows into healthcare but do not directly change Merck’s fundamentals. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks to weather global uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term price churn has appeared in recent sessions (some intraday dips and lagging vs. the broader market on certain days), reflecting market volatility and rotation risk that could cap near‑term upside. Merck (MRK) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $121.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $299.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.68. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

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.