Captrust Financial Advisors Acquires 426,769 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Captrust Financial Advisors increased its Merck stake by 34.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 426,769 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,665,219 shares worth about $175.3 million.
• Institutional interest in Merck remained strong, with several other investors also trimming or adding to positions and institutions owning 76.07% of the company’s stock overall.
• Analysts remain generally upbeat on MRK, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $128.18, while the stock recently traded around $115.10.

Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 34.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,665,219 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 426,769 shares during the quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors owned about 0.07% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $175,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company's stock worth $1,635,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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, April 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $115.10 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $284.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.42, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. The business's fifty day moving average is $116.32 and its 200 day moving average is $113.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

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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