Blair William & Co. IL Has $68.18 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL trimmed its stake in Merck by 6.9% in Q3 to 812,366 shares, worth about $68.18 million after selling 60,101 shares.
• Multiple analysts have raised ratings and price targets on Merck, leaving the consensus at a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $125.88 (several targets now in the $130–$135 range).
• Insiders have been net sellers, offloading 320,176 shares (~$38.28 million) over the past three months, including recent sales by EVP Richard Deluca and CMO Chirfi Guindo; company insiders now own 0.13% of the stock.

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 812,366 shares of the company's stock after selling 60,101 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $68,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% during the third quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company's stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,566 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 3,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Investors Research Corp lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 9,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $783,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 14,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.88.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:MRK opened at $115.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $114.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.61.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

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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