Nilsine Partners LLC Purchases 15,327 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

16 Dec 2025, 13:32 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

Nilsine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 223.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,171 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,327 shares during the quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of MRK opened at $100.34 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. The company has a market cap of $249.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $92.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.60. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $105.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.22. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%.The company had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 42.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $108.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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