Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 29.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,016 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,752 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.7% of Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,737,504,000 after acquiring an additional 1,859,990 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after acquiring an additional 249,110 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,731,018,000 after purchasing an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. 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 target price for the company. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.94.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of Lipfendra creates a new commercial growth driver and strengthens Merck’s long-term pipeline diversification. Merck’s cholesterol pill gets US FDA approval
- Positive Sentiment: Lipfendra is the first and only once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor approved by the FDA, which could give Merck a first-mover advantage in a large cholesterol market. Merck’s LIPFENDRA approval release
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are lifting price targets and fair value estimates, reflecting improved sentiment around Merck’s pipeline and earnings outlook. Merck Snags A First-Of-Its-Kind Approval, And Shares Jump
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck also reported additional positive clinical and regulatory updates for Keytruda and its HIV pipeline, which support the broader investment case but are less immediate than the Lipfendra approval. Merck’s HIV Pipeline Nears Key Inflection Point
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.3%
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $127.67 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $130.29. The company has a market cap of $315.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.96, a PEG ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $119.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.86.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 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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