Ashford Capital Management Inc. Has $1.57 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Ashford Capital Management cut its Merck stake by 51.7% in the first quarter, selling 13,949 shares and retaining 13,034 shares valued at approximately $1.57 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.29 billion, exceeding estimates, while revenue increased 4.9% year over year. The company also maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.85 per share, representing a 2.6% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with Merck receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $133.94; several firms recently raised their targets to between $140 and $150.

Ashford Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 51.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,034 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,949 shares during the period. Ashford Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock worth $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares during the period. Norris Perne & French LLP MI lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company's stock worth $26,543,000 after buying an additional 28,635 shares during the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% during the 4th quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company's stock worth $2,450,000 after buying an additional 11,355 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,022,000 after buying an additional 320,143 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MRK opened at $130.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $323.20 billion, a PE ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.94. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $132.53. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. 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. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $133.94.

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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