Greenleaf Trust grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 94,749 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,454 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,959,778 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $260,560,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
- Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Argus upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.
Read Our Latest Research Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
NYSE MRK opened at $149.75 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $146.90 and its 200-day moving average is $126.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a PE ratio of 154.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
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