Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 2,969,856 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 23.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.4% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,858,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Balefire LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 8,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,061,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 56,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,757,000 after purchasing an additional 3,968 shares during the period. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 69.2% during the 1st quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 3,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 1,471 shares in the last quarter. Broderick Brian C grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Broderick Brian C now owns 22,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,676,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Next Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $209,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $127.47 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $120.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.01. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $131.74. The stock has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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.