9,108 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Acquired by 71 West Capital Partners

Key Points

• 71 West Capital Partners opened a new position in Merck & Co. during the fourth quarter, buying 9,108 shares worth about $959,000.
• Merck continues to attract significant institutional interest, with large holders such as Norges Bank and Cardano Risk Management making major stakes; overall, institutions own 76.07% of the stock.
• Analysts remain generally positive on MRK, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18, while the stock recently traded down 3.4% to about $115.03.

71 West Capital Partners purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 9,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $959,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,997,933,000. DLD Asset Management LP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $585,192,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 985.4% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,969,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,826,000 after buying an additional 3,603,769 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their target price 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of MRK opened at $115.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $284.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company's 50-day moving average price is $116.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 95.77%.

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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