Bank of New York Mellon Corp Has $2.25 Billion Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon slightly reduced its Merck stake by 2.4% in the first quarter, but still held 18.7 million shares worth about $2.25 billion at the end of the period.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $(1.28) per share versus estimates of $(1.47) and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $133.94; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, or a 2.8% yield.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,713,363 shares of the company's stock after selling 451,163 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.76% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $2,251,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $123.56 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $305.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.19. The business's 50-day moving average price is $119.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.72. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $130.29. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.94.

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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