8,110 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Worth Asset Management LLC

07 Oct 2026, 13:30 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Worth Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 196.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,235 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,110 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,546,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,162,691,000 after buying an additional 701,249 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:MRK traded up $1.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $143.12. The stock had a trading volume of 2,348,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,652,900. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $353.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.53, a PEG ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $143.10 and a 200 day moving average of $127.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.80.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.