Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC Sells 7,695 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 33.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,048 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,695 shares during the quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Abound Wealth Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $120.62 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $117.47 and a 200-day moving average of $102.80. 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 firm has a market cap of $298.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid 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 yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: European approval expands KEYTRUDA use to a platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer population (PD‑L1 CPS ≥1). This label adds a new, high‑need indication and could incrementally lift oncology sales in Europe if uptake is steady; approval reduces regulatory uncertainty for the combo in that market. Merck granted EU approval of Keytruda combo in ovarian cancer
• Positive Sentiment: European Commission press release confirming KEYTRUDA + paclitaxel ± bevacizumab approval for PD‑L1‑positive, platinum‑resistant recurrent ovarian carcinoma — reinforces the commercial significance of the approval and the company’s oncology momentum in EU markets. European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA combo
• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported strong Phase 3 results for an oral PCSK9 candidate (enlicitide decanoate) — if confirmed through regulatory paths, an oral PCSK9 could be a major commercial opportunity in lipid management and compete with injectables, implying material long‑term upside to cardiovascular franchise revenue. Merck Reports Strong Phase 3 Results for Oral PCSK9
• Positive Sentiment: Initiation of a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial for MK‑8748 (Tiespectus) in neovascular AMD shows Merck advancing a novel bispecific Tie2 agonist/VEGF inhibitor into registrational testing — de‑risks a promising ophthalmology program and could add a new specialty product if successful. Merck Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 2b/3 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada assigned an Outperform rating — analyst upgrades/support can buoy sentiment and buying interest, especially when coupled with pipeline news and recent beats. Merck Earns Outperform Rating from RBC
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck released detailed Phase 2 CADENCE data (WINREVAIR) — more granular data helps investors assess clinical profile and commercial potential, but Phase 2 detail typically moves shares less than registrational results unless outcomes are transformational. Merck Announces Detailed Results From the Phase 2 CADENCE Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck completed the acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ chromatography business — broadens manufacturing/service capabilities (note: some headlines refer to Merck KGaA; confirm scope). Strategic but not immediately revenue‑moving for MRK’s core drug sales. Merck Completes Acquisition of JSR Life Sciences’ Chromatography Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary: Lilly warned against locking pricing‑deal rules into law, citing innovation risk — a reminder of policy/regulatory uncertainty that can affect the whole pharma sector, including MRK, but it’s not a company‑specific development. Lilly Pushes Back on Making Drug Price Deals Permanent

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.