BNP Paribas Sells 17,542 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• BNP Paribas reduced its Merck stake by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,542 shares and leaving it with 72,531 shares valued at about $7.64 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting a smaller-than-expected loss per share and revenue of $16.29 billion, while also reaffirming FY 2026 EPS guidance of $5.04 to $5.16.
• The stock is down 2.9% and analysts remain moderately constructive, with an average price target of $128.18 and a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” despite some recent downgrades.

BNP Paribas trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 19.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,531 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,542 shares during the period. BNP Paribas' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company's stock worth $906,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $115.28 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.40 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $116.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.81. The company has a market capitalization of $284.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

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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