Heartland Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 106.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,589 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,547 shares during the quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,995,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.94.
Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
- Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
- Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%
NYSE:MRK opened at $127.47 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $131.74. 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 company has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a PE ratio of 35.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.94.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. 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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