Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Cuts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

25 Jul 2026, 07:44 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 10.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 838,615 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95,504 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $100,877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $131.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $323.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $121.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.71. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $131.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

Positive Sentiment: Merck announced initial access plans for alimatravir, its investigational once-monthly oral HIV PrEP in Phase 3 development, and said it has signed voluntary licensing agreements covering 129 countries. That broad access strategy could support adoption in large international markets if the drug is approved. Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: Merck also issued a company release on the same alimatravir access plan, reinforcing that the program is moving forward and that it is trying to expand availability in regions that account for most new HIV diagnoses globally. Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: Traders also bought a high volume of Merck call options, which may reflect rising bullish speculation around the stock and the HIV pipeline, but it does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
Negative Sentiment: Par Health launched the first generic version of Janumet XR in the U.S., which may pressure Merck’s diabetes-related sales and adds another competitive headwind for an established product. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.94.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.