<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Romano Brothers AND Company raised its stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 57.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 43,767 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,903 shares during the quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company's holdings in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. were worth $3,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li> Dividend Stocks for 2026: Where to Invest as the Market Cools</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000.  Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 237.4% in 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 last quarter.  Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $27,000.  Bare Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period.  Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  76.07% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own  0.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><ul><li>HIMS Has Been a Roller Coaster Ride. Should Investors Hop On?</li></ul><p>A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Weiss Ratings  restated a &#34;hold (c)&#34; rating on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a &#34;sector outperform&#34; rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued  a Hold rating and one  has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus price target of $110.13.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Analysis on Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</b></p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>Why GRAIL Stock Could Be Biotech’s Next Big Breakout</li></ul><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. stock opened at $105.20 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $96.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.64. 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 stock has a market cap of $261.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.29. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $107.59. </p><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. As a group, analysts expect that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Increases Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. This is a positive change from Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio  is currently 44.91%. </p><h2>About Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</h2> (Free Report)<p>Merck &amp; 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.  </p><p>Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.</p><h2>Recommended Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</li><li>The Best $1 You'll Spend This Holiday Season</li><li>Holiday surprise: $1 gets you everything</li><li>America’s “most deplorable” Christmas sale</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>Market Panic: Trump Just Dropped a Bomb on Your Stocks</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1SSw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1SSw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Merck &amp; Co., Inc., you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Merck &amp; Co., Inc. wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Merck &amp; Co., Inc. currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Romano Brothers AND Company increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 57.1% in Q3, owning 43,767 shares after acquiring an additional 15,903 shares. Their holdings are valued at approximately $3.7 million. Other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in Merck. Recent analyst ratings show a mix of upgrades and holds, with a consensus price target of $110.13. Merck's stock opened at $105.20, with a market cap of $261.11 billion and a P/E ratio of 13.90.</p>

Romano Brothers AND Company Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK