44 Wealth Management LLC Invests $1.72 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

44 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of 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 institutional investor acquired 14,315 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,722,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock worth $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. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the 4th 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRK. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $131.06 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $121.67 and its 200 day moving average is $117.71. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $131.74. The firm has a market cap of $323.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced initial access plans for alimatravir, its investigational once-monthly oral HIV PrEP in Phase 3 development, and said it has signed voluntary licensing agreements covering 129 countries. That broad access strategy could support adoption in large international markets if the drug is approved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also issued a company release on the same alimatravir access plan, reinforcing that the program is moving forward and that it is trying to expand availability in regions that account for most new HIV diagnoses globally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders also bought a high volume of Merck call options, which may reflect rising bullish speculation around the stock and the HIV pipeline, but it does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Par Health launched the first generic version of Janumet XR in the U.S., which may pressure Merck’s diabetes-related sales and adds another competitive headwind for an established product. Article Title

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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