Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 104,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,048,000.
Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. DLD Asset Management LP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,012,530,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $585,192,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $115.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.60. The company has a market capitalization of $281.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
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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