A Closer Look at Merck & Co's Options Market Dynamics

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Merck & Co MRK.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the positions showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don’t know. But when something this big happens with MRK, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

Today, Benzinga’s options scanner spotted 13 options trades for Merck & Co.

This isn’t normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 38% bullish and 38%, bearish.

Out of all of the options we uncovered, there was 1 put, for a total amount of $34,000, and 12, calls, for a total amount of $1,087,462.

Projected Price Targets

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $65.0 to $115.0 for Merck & Co over the recent three months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Merck & Co’s options for a given strike price.

Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Merck & Co’s whale activity within a strike price range from $65.0 to $115.0 in the last 30 days.

Merck & Co Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Significant Options Trades Detected:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	07/18/25	$5.45	$5.2	$5.45	$95.00	$229.9K	1.4K	446
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	09/19/25	$7.05	$6.8	$6.8	$95.00	$208.0K	1.5K	31
MRK	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	07/18/25	$5.55	$5.3	$5.5	$95.00	$205.7K	1.4K	825
MRK	CALL	TRADE	NEUTRAL	01/16/26	$2.99	$2.66	$2.8	$115.00	$168.0K	2.1K	880
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	NEUTRAL	03/20/26	$22.1	$22.1	$22.1	$75.00	$46.4K	36	21

About Merck & Co

Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm’s immuno-oncology platform is growing as a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business, with treatments to prevent pediatric diseases as well as human papillomavirus, or HPV. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, just under half of the company’s sales are generated in the United States.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with Merck & Co, we pivot to a closer look at the company’s own performance.

Current Position of Merck & Co

• With a volume of 5,950,824, the price of MRK is down -0.67% at $94.08.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 41 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Merck & Co

A total of 1 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $105.0.

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* An analyst from Deutsche Bank downgraded its action to Hold with a price target of $105.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Merck & Co options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.