Heritage Investors Management Corp Sells 11,580 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

02 Nov 2026, 07:01 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Heritage Investors Management Corp cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 305,012 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,580 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.3% of Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $44,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Graney & King LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $149.75 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $146.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.69. The firm has a market cap of $369.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Daiwa Securities Group raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

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.