CORDA Investment Management LLC. Has $53.99 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• CORDA Investment Management reduced its Merck stake by 1.7% in the second quarter, selling 7,372 shares. It still held 420,154 shares valued at approximately $53.99 million, while institutional investors collectively owned 76.07% of the stock.
• Merck insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million over the past 90 days, including sizable sales by executives Richard R. Deluca and David R. Maraldo.
• Merck exceeded quarterly revenue and EPS expectations, reporting $16.61 billion in revenue and EPS of negative $0.13. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, and analysts maintained a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $144.10.

CORDA Investment Management LLC. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 420,154 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,372 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 3.3% of CORDA Investment Management LLC.'s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. CORDA Investment Management LLC.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $53,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $150.67 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $128.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $371.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.54, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $154.49.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $144.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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