Brandes Investment Partners LP Purchases 44,858 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,467,525 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,858 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 2.0% of Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $259,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. now owns 370,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,002,000 after buying an additional 16,545 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 21,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,265,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 4,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $1,259,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 107,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,282,000 after purchasing an additional 3,035 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $119.54 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $295.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $116.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.85.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. UBS Group upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Gilead reported positive Phase 3 results for their once-weekly HIV regimen islatravir/lenacapavir, meeting the primary efficacy endpoint in both studies and moving the program closer to regulatory filings. Article: Gilead and Merck Announce Positive Topline Results From Two Phase 3 Studies Evaluating Islatravir/Lenacapavir, an Oral Once-Weekly HIV Treatment
• Positive Sentiment: The HIV data could strengthen Merck’s long-term pipeline and add a potential new growth driver if the once-weekly treatment wins approval and commercialization proceeds as expected. Article: Gilead, Merck Report Positive Phase III HIV Study Data, End NSCLC Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also presented at the Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference, which typically reinforces management’s strategy and pipeline commentary but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article: Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with The Hashgraph Group on an EU digital product passport for regulated supply chains is strategically interesting, but it is unlikely to have a near-term material impact on earnings. Article: The Hashgraph Group and Merck Introduce EU Digital Product Passport on Hedera for Regulated Supply Chains
• Negative Sentiment: Merck and Gilead discontinued a Phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer study after it failed to show a statistically significant benefit, which removes one potential oncology catalyst and highlights clinical risk in the pipeline. Article: Merck and Gilead Provide Update on Phase 3 KEYNOTE-D46/EVOKE-03 Study
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters also reported Merck is exploring treatment options for a rare Ebola strain, which may reflect additional research effort but could carry uncertainty around development timing and commercial value. Article: Merck (MRK) Explores Treatment Options for Rare Ebola Strain, Reuters Reports

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.