Amundi reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,342,274 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,422,680 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.50% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $1,585,980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.60.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on MRK
Insider Activity
In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.0%
Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $150.37 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $134.64 and a 200-day moving average of $123.53. The company has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a PE ratio of 120.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $156.92.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).
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.
Continue following MarketBeat
Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.
Before you consider Merck & Co., Inc., you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Merck & Co., Inc. wasn't on the list.
While Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Enter your email address and we’ll send you MarketBeat’s list of ten stocks set to soar in Summer 2026, despite the threat of tariffs and what's happening in Iran. These ten stocks are incredibly resilient and are likely to thrive in any economic environment.
Get This Free Report
