Vestor Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 16,530.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 27,607 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,441 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,012,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.9% in the third quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 17,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.5% in the third quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 52,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,550 shares in the last quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.9% in the third quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after purchasing an additional 2,506 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC now owns 2,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 780 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Barclays increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. DZ Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Argus assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
NYSE MRK opened at $148.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $366.34 billion, a PE ratio of 153.08, a P/E/G ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $146.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.80 and a 52-week high of $156.92.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.56%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide, an investigational weekly treatment for adults with MASH and stage F2 or F3 liver fibrosis. The findings add a potential new opportunity in liver disease, although the supplied report does not include detailed efficacy results. Article: Merck Announces Positive Results from Phase 2b Trial of Efinopegdutide
- Positive Sentiment: Merck has started the Phase 3 ENHANCE-3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance treatment. Separately, the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer, advancing two potential growth drivers. Article: Merck Starts ENHANCE 3 COPD Trial As Cancer Drug Review Nears
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Tempus AI is expected to contribute to a five-year partnership value of roughly $192.5 million, providing a data and AI-related research tie-up; the article does not detail the financial impact to Merck. Article: The AI Debt Bill Is Coming Due, But Biotech Has Revenue to Show for the Boom
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts describe Merck’s 2027 growth outlook as challenging, citing generic competition, weaker vaccine performance and slowing growth for Keytruda. These pressures could weigh on near-term results, despite the company’s expanding pipeline. Article: MRK’s 2027 Outlook Challenging, Long-Term Prospects Promising
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 102,014 shares of company stock valued at $13,608,779. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.
Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.
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