Bar Harbor Wealth Management Has $18.11 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Bar Harbor Wealth Management raised its Merck stake 7.2% to 172,032 shares valued at about $18.11 million, representing roughly 1.0% of its portfolio and the firm's 24th largest holding.
• Insiders have been net sellers, including executive sales of $14.49M (Jennifer Zachary) and $1.83M (Johannes Oosthuizen); insiders disposed of 320,176 shares worth about $38.28 million in the past 90 days and now own just 0.13% of Merck.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a $127.59 target, supported by recent upgrades from Deutsche Bank ($150), BMO ($130) and RBC ($142).

Bar Harbor Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,032 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,622 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.0% of Bar Harbor Wealth Management's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Bar Harbor Wealth Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $18,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Payne Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,120,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Abound Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 6,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,488,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $121.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $300.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm's 50 day moving average is $119.05 and its 200 day moving average is $104.48. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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