Easterly Investment Partners LLC Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Easterly Investment Partners cut its Merck position by 52.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 68,750 shares and leaving it with 62,793 shares valued at about $6.61 million.
• Merck reported quarterly earnings of ($1.28) per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in at $16.29 billion, also above expectations and up 4.9% year over year.
• The company announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend payable July 8, which implies a 2.9% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $128.18.

Easterly Investment Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 52.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,793 shares of the company's stock after selling 68,750 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $906,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $118.49 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.40 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $116.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.63. The company has a market cap of $292.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.38, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to calderasib (MK-1084) with Keytruda in a lung cancer indication, a sign the program may move faster and expand Merck’s oncology growth prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and recent articles highlighted Merck’s newer drugs, pipeline assets, and M&A options as potential offsets to looming Keytruda patent expiration, reinforcing the bull case for long-term growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has also been drawing investor attention as a trending stock and has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, suggesting market confidence remains relatively strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which could provide an update on strategy but is not itself a major business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders backed board nominees, pay, and auditor ratification at the annual meeting, which reduces governance uncertainty but is unlikely to move the stock much. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The main longer-term concern remains Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity, which could pressure Merck’s biggest revenue driver if replacement products do not scale quickly enough. Article Title

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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