Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

Over the past six months, Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) stock price has experienced a decline. As of June 26, 2025, the share price was $78.83, representing a 39.28% decrease from $129.82 on June 27, 2024. Factors contributing to this decline include lower demand for certain products in China, ongoing generic competition, and supply constraints in China. Concerns exist regarding potential competition for Keytruda and the company's ability to navigate the loss of exclusivity period. Despite these challenges, Merck has made regulatory and clinical progress and has pursued strategic business moves.

Specific demand seasonality for Merck & Co., Inc.'s products and services is not extensively detailed. The pharmaceutical and animal health industries can experience some seasonality based on factors such as disease outbreaks, agricultural cycles, and seasonal pet health concerns. Merck's Q4 2024 results indicated lower demand in China for some products, partially offset by higher demand in most international regions, particularly Japan. Some products saw growth due to higher demand in the U.S., and the animal health segment saw growth driven by higher demand for poultry products and higher pricing.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global healthcare company operating primarily through two segments: Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products for various areas such as oncology, vaccines, hospital acute care, cardiovascular, virology, neuroscience, and diabetes. The Animal Health segment provides veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions for livestock and companion animals.

Merck & Co., Inc. serves a global customer base with a presence in 66 countries and maintains offices and research facilities worldwide. In 2024, approximately half of the company's sales were generated in the United States ($32.3 billion), with significant revenues also coming from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa ($14.0 billion), China ($5.5 billion), Latin America ($3.5 billion), Japan ($3.3 billion), and other Asia Pacific regions ($3.1 billion).

Merck & Co., Inc. has maintained a strong brand reputation, achieving top positions on Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies 2025 list, CNBC and JUST Capital's America's Most JUST Companies list, and Barron's 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies rankings. The company's commitment to ethics and integrity is fundamental to its mission. The legal battle over the "Merck" name with Merck KGaA has affected Merck's brand, particularly outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Merck & Co., Inc. is heavily dominated by institutional owners, holding approximately 78% of the shares. As of Q4 2023, institutional investors held 71.8% of total outstanding shares, with mutual funds holding 42.3%. Individual/retail investors hold about 28.2% of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, holding 9.7% of shares outstanding. Insiders own under 1% of Merck & Co., Inc..