Dorsey Wright & Associates Makes New Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Dorsey Wright & Associates opened a new position in Merck during the first quarter, buying 11,225 shares valued at about $1.35 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of ($1.28) versus estimates of ($1.47) and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $133.94, while Merck also continued its quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share.

Dorsey Wright & Associates acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 11,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,350,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,731,000 after buying an additional 24,576 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock worth $10,296,000 after acquiring an additional 32,114 shares in the last quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company's stock worth $26,543,000 after acquiring an additional 28,635 shares in the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% during the fourth quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after acquiring an additional 11,355 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,022,000 after acquiring an additional 320,143 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MRK opened at $127.47 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $120.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $131.74. The company has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.94.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

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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