Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Reduces Merck & Co. Holdings

Institutional investor sold over 40,000 shares of pharmaceutical giant in Q3 2025

Mar. 15, 2026 at 11:25am

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Crawford Investment Counsel Inc., an institutional investor, reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 19.8% during the third quarter of 2025, according to a disclosure filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm now owns 162,136 shares of the company's stock, down from 202,210 shares previously.

Why it matters

Merck is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, with a diverse portfolio of drugs and vaccines. Institutional investors closely monitor and adjust their holdings in major pharmaceutical stocks like Merck, as changes in ownership can signal shifts in market sentiment or expectations around a company's performance.

The details

According to the SEC filing, Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. sold 40,074 shares of Merck & Co. stock during the third quarter of 2025. The firm's total holdings in Merck are now valued at $13.6 million, down from $17 million at the end of the prior quarter.

  • The SEC filing was made on March 15, 2026, disclosing the Q3 2025 portfolio changes.
  • Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its Merck holdings during the third quarter of 2025.

The players

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.

An institutional investment management firm that oversees over $5 billion in client assets.

Merck & Co., Inc.

A major American pharmaceutical company that develops and markets a wide range of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products.

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The takeaway

This filing indicates that one prominent institutional investor has reduced its stake in Merck, potentially signaling a shift in market sentiment around the pharmaceutical company's outlook. However, Merck remains a widely held stock among institutional investors, and this single portfolio adjustment does not necessarily reflect broader trends in the stock.