<div id="readability-page-1"><p>OFI Invest Asset Management raised its stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The fund owned 733,819 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,761 shares during the quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management's holdings in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. were worth $61,589,000 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>A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,889,340,000.  Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,858,570,000.  Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company's stock worth $2,139,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,748 shares during the last quarter.  Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company's stock worth $1,540,145,000 after acquiring an additional 5,094,088 shares during the period.  Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company's stock worth $4,263,991,000 after acquiring an additional 4,636,183 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  76.07% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Price Performance</h2><p>MRK stock opened at $104.79 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $260.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.29. 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 50-day moving average price of $93.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.43. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $105.84. </p><ul><li>HIMS Has Been a Roller Coaster Ride. Should Investors Hop On?</li></ul><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share 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, research analysts predict that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Increases Dividend</h2><p>The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 44.91%. </p><h2>Insider Activity</h2><ul><li>Why GRAIL Stock Could Be Biotech’s Next Big Breakout</li></ul><p>In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were 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 approximately $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders. </p><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo &amp; Company raised Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating to an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and increased their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating and dropped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Bank of America raised their price target on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued  a Hold rating and one  has assigned  a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average price target of $110.13.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Stock Report on Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</b></p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Profile</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>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>INVESTOR ALERT: Tiny “$3 AI Wonder Stock” on the Verge of Blasting Off</li><li>Can Any Expenses Be Deducted From Capital Gains Tax?</li><li>Buffett, Gates and Bezos Quietly Dumping Stocks—Here's Why</li><li>The Last Gold Bull Market </li></ul><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>OFI Invest Asset Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in Q3, owning 733,819 shares valued at $61.59 million. Other major investors also adjusted their positions, with significant stakes acquired by DLD Asset Management, Norges Bank, and Franklin Resources. Merck's stock opened at $104.79, with a market cap of $260.08 billion. The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.85 per share.</p>

Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by OFI Invest Asset Management