Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 86.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 128,401 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,377 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.4% of Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $15,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,731,000 after acquiring an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,296,000 after buying an additional 32,114 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after acquiring an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,866,000. Finally, Norris Perne & French LLP MI boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,543,000 after acquiring an additional 28,635 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $129.09 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $116.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $129.97. The company has a market cap of $318.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.72.
View Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc.
- The AI Boom Has a Second Act—And It’s Playing Out in Optics
- Gold’s 2026 Rally Has Cracked—Is It Time to Buy the Pullback?
- 5 Tech Stocks to Buy on the July Pullback
- Is OpenAI’s IPO Delay a Warning for AI Investors?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
