Bessemer Group Inc. Increases Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. increased its Merck stake by 34.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 526,293 shares and bringing its total holding to 2,054,137 shares worth about $216.2 million.
• Merck’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of ($1.28) versus the consensus of ($1.47) and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
• Wall Street remains generally constructive on MRK: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus, with a target price of $128.18, while recent commentary has highlighted Keytruda as a key growth driver.

Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 34.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,054,137 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 526,293 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $216,218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% during the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 53.6% during the 3rd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 450 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted that Keytruda continues to be a major growth driver for Merck, with strong first-quarter sales and potential upside from new indications and combination therapies in 2026. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck is being discussed in a broader biotech/biopharma context, including Veeva’s upcoming summit where Merck will participate in AI and commercial strategy discussions. This is more of an industry event than a direct earnings or pipeline catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate commentary noted that Merck has attracted investor attention on Zacks and that recent share-price performance has been mixed, which may be keeping traders focused on valuation rather than prompting a fresh buy or sell signal. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Another market note said Merck’s short-term momentum has cooled after recent weakness, even though longer-term performance remains strong. That suggests investors are weighing the recent pullback against the company’s solid fundamentals. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 note on Monday, April 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $113.21 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $279.60 billion, a PE ratio of 31.89, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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