Empire Financial Management Company LLC Sells 7,623 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Empire Financial Management reduced its Merck stake by 16%, selling 7,623 shares during the first quarter and retaining 39,960 shares valued at approximately $4.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Merck shares recently traded at $131.85, near their 52-week high, while the company reported quarterly revenue of $16.29 billion that exceeded analyst estimates. Merck also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, yielding about 2.6% annually.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $133.94, although some analysts expect near-term earnings to decline.

Empire Financial Management Company LLC cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,960 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,623 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.1% of Empire Financial Management Company LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Empire Financial Management Company LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock worth $60,731,000 after acquiring an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,296,000 after acquiring an additional 32,114 shares during the last quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $26,543,000 after acquiring an additional 28,635 shares during the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP raised its stake 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 last quarter. 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 worth $137,022,000 after purchasing an additional 320,143 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $131.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $325.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.10. 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 fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $135.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm 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 company's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.94.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported that KEYTRUDA met the primary progression-free-survival endpoint in the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-C93 trial for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The result represents a statistically significant benefit over platinum chemotherapy and could support future regulatory filings, strengthening the company’s oncology pipeline. Merck Says KEYTRUDA Beat Chemotherapy in Phase 3 Endometrial Cancer Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its growth opportunities beyond KEYTRUDA. A royalty-free licensing agreement will enable generic HIV-prevention treatment supply across 129 low- and middle-income countries, while U.S. approval of LIPFENDRA, described as the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor for LDL reduction, broadens its cardiovascular portfolio. Merck Expands HIV PrEP Access and Launches Oral Cholesterol Drug
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained its Buy rating on MRK, signaling continued confidence in the company’s outlook despite near-term earnings pressure. Wells Fargo Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage firms collectively assigned Merck an average “Moderate Buy” rating, indicating constructive sentiment but not a unanimous expectation of strong upside. Merck Given Average Moderate Buy Rating by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect Merck’s upcoming second-quarter earnings to decline, and previews indicate the company may lack the earnings and revenue momentum typically associated with a likely consensus beat. This could limit near-term gains ahead of the report. Merck Q2 Earnings Expected to Decline

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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