Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. Sells 30,336 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors cut its Merck stake by 37.8% in the first quarter, selling 30,336 shares and leaving it with 49,866 shares worth about $6.0 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Merck remains largely positive, with several analysts raising or reaffirming bullish ratings and the consensus price target sitting at $132.72.
• Merck continues to benefit from key catalysts, including FDA approval for KEYTRUDA-based bladder cancer treatment use, while the stock also faces ongoing concerns about valuation and long-term patent risk.

Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 37.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,866 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,336 shares during the quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 39,449 shares of the company's stock worth $4,745,000 after acquiring an additional 2,553 shares in the last quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.7% in the first quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 33,820 shares of the company's stock worth $4,068,000 after purchasing an additional 4,580 shares in the last quarter. Avid Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.8% in the first quarter. Avid Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,299 shares of the company's stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $216,000. Finally, Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the first quarter. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC now owns 47,444 shares of the company's stock worth $5,707,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $132.72.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, each combined with Padcev, for use before and after surgery in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This expands Merck’s flagship oncology franchise and could add to future revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley slightly raising its price target and RBC Capital reiterating a Buy rating. That suggests Wall Street still sees upside despite the stock’s recent run. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck continues to attract investor attention thanks to strong year-to-date performance, a solid dividend yield, and a long record of dividend growth, which may support demand for the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes Merck is one of the more widely watched healthcare names on Zacks, but these mentions do not appear to add any new fundamental catalyst on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat news flow, the shares also face ongoing valuation and post-KEYTRUDA exclusivity concerns, which may limit upside if investors focus on Merck’s long-term patent risk. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $123.72 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The company has a market capitalization of $305.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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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