Rep. Bruce Westerman Sells Off Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Posted by Editorial Team on May 14th, 2025

Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on May 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on April 21st. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FISHER IRA” account.

Representative Bruce Westerman also recently made the following trade(s):

Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UniCredit (OTCMKTS:UNCRY) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:SIEGY) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GSK (NYSE:GSK) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 4/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) on 4/21/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $76.62 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.82 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.85. The company has a market cap of $192.40 billion, a PE ratio of 11.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.13.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Westerman

Bruce Westerman (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Westerman (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Westerman earned his BSBAGE in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1990 and his MF in forestry from Yale University in 2001. His professional experience includes working as a plant engineer for Riceland Foods and an engineer/forester for Mid-South Engineering Company.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Get Free Report)

Merck & 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.