Financial Security Advisor Inc. Raises Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Financial Security Advisor Inc. increased its Merck stake by 592% in the fourth quarter, ending with 66,555 shares valued at about $7.06 million. Merck now makes up 1.4% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 14th-largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly positive but mixed: Merck currently carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $128.18. Recent moves included Deutsche Bank upgrading the stock to buy, while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to hold.
• Merck’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting EPS of -$1.28 versus forecasts of -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion versus $15.85 billion expected. The company also reported 4.9% year-over-year revenue growth and reiterated FY 2026 guidance of 5.04 to 5.16 EPS.

Financial Security Advisor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 592.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,555 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,937 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.4% of Financial Security Advisor Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Financial Security Advisor Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,120,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.37 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $116.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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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