FNY Investment Advisers LLC Purchases Shares of 10,200 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 10,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,073,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. DLD Asset Management LP raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,156,112 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after buying an additional 2,821,766 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,532,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,363,480,000 after buying an additional 3,454,941 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after buying an additional 2,735,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $120.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $298.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a fifty day moving average of $117.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.80. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results 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. 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 analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. The firm’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, equities research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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.