20,928 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

by · The Cerbat Gem

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 628,453 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,928 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $91,855,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,130.3% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,068,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,806,000 after buying an additional 2,051,475 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,334,000 after buying an additional 1,959,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $148.19 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $146.22 and a 200-day moving average of $129.67. The firm has a market cap of $365.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.55, a P/E/G ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.01 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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 report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on MRK

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Merck’s newer cancer treatments and encouraging Phase 3 melanoma results may help broaden its oncology franchise and reduce reliance on Keytruda. Investors are assessing whether these products can become meaningful growth drivers before Keytruda faces patent-related competition. How Investors Are Reacting To Merck Phase 3 Melanoma Results
  • Positive Sentiment: The company’s diversified drug portfolio, research investments and dividend—approximately a 2.4% yield—provide support for investors seeking income while waiting for newer therapies to offset future Keytruda pressure. Merck also previously raised its 2026 sales outlook. Merck’s 2.4% Dividend Yield
  • Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Silence Therapeutics for approximately $1.3 billion in cash, including $20 per American depositary share. The deal could strengthen the German company’s pipeline, but Merck KGaA is a separate company from U.S.-listed Merck & Co. (MRK), so the transaction does not directly affect MRK’s earnings or stock.
  • Negative Sentiment: Keytruda’s concentration creates a significant patent-cliff risk. New treatments must scale rapidly enough to replace a large portion of sales and profits when competition arrives, adding uncertainty to Merck’s valuation and long-term growth outlook. Merck Has New Cancer Treatments
  • Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MRK, indicating some short-term institutional or systematic selling pressure despite the company’s underlying growth initiatives. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Merck

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).