Hantz Financial Services Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by George Bondi on May 26th, 2026

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 42.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 70,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,357 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,423,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Wealthquest Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 17,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,848,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the period. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 117,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,377,000 after buying an additional 6,991 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 185.7% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 34,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,579,000 after buying an additional 22,100 shares during the period. Finally, Clune & Associates LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

View Our Latest Research Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $122.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $302.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 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. has a 52 week low of $75.40 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.68.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

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.