Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.2%
Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $128.61. The stock had a trading volume of 6,425,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,766,726. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $135.05. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $123.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.04. The company has a market cap of $317.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.89, a PEG ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.19.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after purchasing an additional 5,152,069 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.56.
Check Out Our Latest Report on MRK
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.
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