BOCHK Asset Management Ltd Invests $1.90 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• BOCHK Asset Management Ltd opened a new position in Merck, buying 18,000 shares valued at about $1.895 million, making MRK roughly 0.5% of its portfolio and its 19th-largest holding.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.5M) and the CMO sold 10,000 shares, with insiders offloading 320,176 shares worth $38.28M in the past 90 days (insiders now own 0.13%).
• Merck slightly beat Q4 estimates (EPS $2.04 vs. $2.01; revenue $16.40B), set FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.00–$5.15, and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.85 (annualized $3.40, yield 2.8%).

BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 18,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,895,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.5% of BOCHK Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Payne Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company's stock worth $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Abound Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company's stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Jmac Enterprises LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 6,616 shares of the company's stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK opened at $122.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $303.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $118.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.20.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.59.

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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