Cinctive Capital Management LP Lowers Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Cinctive Capital Management LP cut its Merck stake by 46.1% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 47,706 shares valued at about $5.0 million.
• Other institutional investors also made moves in Merck, and hedge funds now own 76.07% of the company’s shares.
• Merck’s latest quarter beat expectations, with EPS of -$1.28 versus estimates of -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion topping forecasts; the company also declared a $0.85 quarterly dividend and has a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy.

Cinctive Capital Management LP lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 46.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,706 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,776 shares during the quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $115.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $285.69 billion, a PE ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.21. The company's fifty day moving average is $116.22 and its 200 day moving average is $113.53. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $125.14. 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 issued 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. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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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