256,793 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Acquired by OP Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new Merck stake in the first quarter, acquiring 256,793 shares worth about $30.9 million.
• Merck is seeing generally positive developments in its pipeline and products, including a Phase 3 win for tulisokibart in ulcerative colitis and European approval for Keytruda plus Padcev in bladder cancer.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly constructive: several firms raised targets or reiterated bullish ratings, and Merck also reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue while declaring a $0.85 quarterly dividend.

OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 256,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,890,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2% during the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 126,173 shares of the company's stock worth $15,176,000 after buying an additional 6,268 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 152.6% in the first quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 37,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,422,000 after acquiring an additional 22,436 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.2% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 743,214 shares of the company's stock worth $89,401,000 after acquiring an additional 201,642 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,200 shares of the company's stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s tulisokibart met its endpoint in a Phase 3 ulcerative colitis study, strengthening confidence in the company’s immunology pipeline and offering a possible future growth driver. Merck's Anti-TL1A Antibody Meets Goal in Ulcerative Colitis Study
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda in combination with Padcev for cisplatin-ineligible patients with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, which could support oncology sales and broaden Keytruda’s international use. European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Padcev®
• Positive Sentiment: CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck with an outperform rating and a $138 price target, signaling Wall Street expects further upside from current levels. Benzinga report on CICC coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi maintained its hold rating on Merck, suggesting a more cautious view but no major change in the stock thesis. Citi Keeps Their Hold Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank reaffirmed its buy rating on Merck, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop. Scotiabank Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $120.74 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a market cap of $298.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average of $115.77 and a 200-day moving average of $114.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 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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