<div id="readability-page-1"><p>LM Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 42.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  owned 15,401 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,547 shares during the quarter. LM Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. were worth $1,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.</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 bought and sold shares of the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000.  Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000.  Bare Financial Services Inc raised its position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period.  CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter.  Finally, Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own  76.07% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Insider Activity</h2><p>In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own  0.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Wall Street Analyst Weigh In</h2><ul><li>HIMS Has Been a Roller Coaster Ride. Should Investors Hop On?</li></ul><p>MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 research report on Friday. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a &#34;sector outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned  a Hold rating and one  has assigned  a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company  has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $107.50.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK</b></p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.3%</h2><ul><li>Why GRAIL Stock Could Be Biotech’s Next Big Breakout</li></ul><p>NYSE MRK opened at $100.33 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $92.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $249.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.25, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.29. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $105.84. </p><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $17.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17 billion. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS.  Equities research analysts forecast that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Increases Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.80%. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Merck &amp; Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</li><li>Why Invest in 5G? How to Invest in 5G Stocks  </li><li>Why Amazon Could Be a $300 Stock Within Weeks</li><li>The Top 3 Healthcare Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold</li><li>Adobe Gets Post-Earnings Lift: Long-Term Outlook Favors Upside</li><li>What Are Treasury Bonds?</li><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 12/8 - 12/12</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>LM Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 42.8% in Q2, selling 11,547 shares. The firm's remaining 15,401 shares are valued at $1.22 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their positions in Merck. Insider EVP David Williams sold 8,614 shares. Analysts have mixed ratings on Merck, with a consensus 'Hold' rating and an average target price of $107.50. Merck's recent earnings beat estimates, reporting $2.58 EPS and $17.28 billion in revenue.</p>

LM Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK