Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 72,786 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group Inc. cut its Merck stake by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 72,786 shares and ending with 492,451 shares worth about $51.8 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted their positions, and institutional ownership remains high at 76.07% of Merck’s shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally positive: Merck has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $128.18, while recent quarterly results beat expectations on both earnings and revenue.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 492,451 shares of the company's stock after selling 72,786 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $51,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 8,212 shares of the company's stock worth $864,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 189.6% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,317 shares of the company's stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,517 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,230,821 shares of the company's stock worth $234,816,000 after purchasing an additional 152,026 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company's stock worth $137,022,000 after purchasing an additional 320,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intellectus Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 10,021 shares of the company's stock worth $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MRK. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Guggenheim raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $120.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $296.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $116.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 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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