104,944 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Purchased by Purpose Unlimited Inc.

Key Points

• Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in Merck during the fourth quarter, purchasing 104,944 shares valued at about $11.0 million.
• Merck’s stock was slightly higher, opening at $114.04, with the company carrying a $281.65 billion market cap and a 1-year range of $76.66 to $125.14.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of -$1.28 versus an expected -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion; Merck also declared a $0.85 quarterly dividend payable July 8, yielding about 3.0%.

Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 104,944 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,048,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company's stock worth $1,635,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $114.04 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $281.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21. 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 50 day simple moving average of $115.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.