Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Acquires 35,631 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its Merck stake by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, adding 35,631 shares and bringing its total holdings to 233,441 shares worth about $24.6 million.
• Other large institutional investors also increased their positions in Merck, and institutions now own about 76.07% of the company’s stock.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of ($1.28) versus estimates of ($1.47) and revenue of $16.29 billion, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $128.18.

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 18.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 233,441 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,631 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.9% of Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock worth $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $585,192,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock worth $1,665,585,000 after buying an additional 2,821,766 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock worth $1,336,877,000 after buying an additional 2,735,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $111.36 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.37 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.