Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Buys 263,633 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Axxcess Wealth Management dramatically increased its Merck stake in the fourth quarter, buying 263,633 additional shares and lifting its position by 402.4% to 329,155 shares worth about $33.96 million.
• Merck’s latest earnings beat expectations, with Q1 revenue of $16.29 billion and EPS of -$1.28 coming in better than analysts expected, while the company also reaffirmed its FY 2026 EPS guidance of 5.04 to 5.16.
• The company continues to draw attention for its oncology pipeline, with positive updates on lung cancer and melanoma combination therapies helping support confidence in Keytruda-related growth prospects.

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 402.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 329,155 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 263,633 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $33,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after buying an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $115.86 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $115.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.15 billion, a PE ratio of 32.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.40 and a 1 year high of $125.14. 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 issued 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. 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%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Sichuan Kelun-Biotech said their lung cancer combination therapy met the main goal in a late-stage China trial, improving survival in patients with advanced lung cancer and adding to confidence in Merck’s Keytruda-based oncology franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported five-year data showing their skin-cancer combination therapy cut the risk of cancer spreading by 59% in a mid-stage melanoma study, reinforcing the commercial potential of Merck’s immuno-oncology pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Exelixis announced a collaboration with Merck on a late-stage colorectal cancer study, signaling continued pipeline expansion and more shots on goal in oncology. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market roundup highlighted Merck among dividend stocks to consider, but the piece was broad and did not provide company-specific catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A separate article from Zacks argued that Eli Lilly looks stronger than Merck due to Lilly’s GLP-1 momentum and pipeline, which could weigh on sentiment versus MRK’s peers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Merck Animal Health was referred to the FTC and FDA over Bravecto Quantum dosing claims after not complying with an advertising review recommendation, creating a regulatory/reputation overhang for the animal-health business. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on MRK shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.18.

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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