Abner Herrman & Brock LLC Boosts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Abner Herrman & Brock LLC increased its stake in Merck by 1,807.8%, acquiring an additional 187,919 shares to hold 198,314 shares worth about $20.88 million, making MRK ~2.1% of the firm's portfolio and its 20th largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment has strengthened to a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $126.81, and notable upgrades/targets include Wells Fargo $150 (overweight), BMO $130 (outperform) and RBC $142 (outperform).
• Merck beat Q results (EPS $2.04 vs. $2.01), set FY2026 guidance of 5.00–5.15 EPS, and offers a quarterly dividend of $0.85 (3.0% yield), while trading at a P/E of about 15.7 and a market cap near $282 billion.

Abner Herrman & Brock LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1,807.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 198,314 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 187,919 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 2.1% of Abner Herrman & Brock LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 8,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $857,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Davis Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 73.3% during the fourth quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,985 shares of the company's stock worth $1,702,000 after acquiring an additional 6,761 shares during the period. JBR Co Financial Management Inc acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Red Spruce Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 25,745 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,710,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 135.0% during the fourth quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 111,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,718,000 after purchasing an additional 63,950 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.81.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $114.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $115.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.44. The stock has a market cap of $282.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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