Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC

3Chopt Investment Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 34.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,313 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,839 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.Get Merck & Co., Inc. alerts: Dividend Stocks for 2026: Where to Invest as the Market CoolsOther hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company's stock worth $2,139,901,000 after buying an additional 5,135,748 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the second 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 holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the second 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. Analyst Ratings ChangesMRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $110.13.HIMS Has Been a Roller Coaster Ride. Should Investors Hop On?Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRKMerck & Co., Inc. Price PerformanceShares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $106.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.52. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $107.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. Why GRAIL Stock Could Be Biotech’s Next Big BreakoutMerck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year. Merck & Co., Inc. Increases DividendThe firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 44.91%. Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)Merck & 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. Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.See AlsoFive stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc.Do not delete, read immediatelyThe Crash Has Already Started (Most Just Don’t See It Yet)ALERT: Drop these 5 stocks before January 2026![No Brainer Gold Play]: “Show me a better investment.”INVESTOR ALERT: Tiny “$3 AI Wonder Stock” on the Verge of Blasting OffThis 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.Should You Invest $1,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. Right Now?Before you consider Merck & Co., Inc., you'll want to hear this.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 & Co., Inc. wasn't on the list.While Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here