Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 119,905 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,765 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. High Note Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $114.23 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $115.90 and a 200 day moving average of $109.73. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.40 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a market cap of $282.13 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.
Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.
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