Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC

24 Apr 2026, 08:56 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 36.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,734 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,505 shares during the quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.47.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: Landmark Google Cloud AI partnership — Merck announced a multi‑year, up-to‑$1B collaboration with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini/agentic AI across R&D, manufacturing and commercial functions. Investors view this as a structural move to accelerate drug discovery, improve manufacturing efficiency and lower long‑term costs, supporting growth and margins. Merck and Google Cloud Partner to Accelerate Agentic AI Enterprise Transformation
Positive Sentiment: Acquisition progress — The HSR waiting period for Merck’s pending acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals expired, clearing an important regulatory step and keeping the deal on track. This reduces execution uncertainty around the acquisition and potential pipeline/capability gains. Merck Announces Expiration of Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Waiting Period to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Positive Sentiment: Regulatory tailwinds for oncology and HIV — Merck received FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA regimens in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer and recently gained approval for Idvynso (doravirine/islatravir) in HIV‑1, both of which support near‑ and mid‑term revenue upside for key franchises. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Gains FDA Priority Review for KEYTRUDA Regimen in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst expectations and near‑term earnings risk — Analysts are forecasting a decline in earnings for the upcoming report, signaling limited scope for an earnings beat. This raises short‑term volatility risk, although Merck’s FY26 EPS guidance remains a reference point for investors. Analysts Estimate Merck (MRK) to Report a Decline in Earnings: What to Look Out for
Negative Sentiment: Clinical setback in kidney cancer — A Keytruda‑based triplet regimen failed to meet its primary endpoint in a late‑stage first‑line renal cell carcinoma study. This is a direct clinical blow to an important oncology area and can pressure sentiment around Keytruda growth expectations. MRK Down as Triplet Therapy Fails to Meet Goal in Kidney Cancer Study

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. The trade was a 9.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $114.68 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company has a market cap of $283.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

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.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.