Merck (NYSE:MRK) stock is up 5% to trade at $121.75, after the blue-chip pharma giant received the "go ahead" from European officials in regard to its combination of the company's products, Keytruda and Padcev, for a lower risk form of bladder cancer treatment. Separately, the company's lug cancer combo met its late-stage goal.
Merck stock is trading above its 140 day moving average for the first time since September 30, and is headed for its best daily pop since November 11, 2025. The shares are now just a chip shot from their Feb. 25 two-year high of $125.14. If these gains hold, MRK will notch a positive week with four out of five winnings sessions.
So far, over 10,000 calls have changed hands, which is double the amount typically seen at this point. The most popular option by far is the weekly 5/22 118-strike call which will expire after the close today.
Prior to today though, puts were more popular. MRK sports a 50-day put/call volume ratio of 2.39 on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio stands in the 99th percentile of its annual range.
