Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Purchases 31,083 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors increased its Merck stake by 4.9% in the first quarter, buying 31,083 more shares and bringing its total holding to 659,851 shares worth about $79.4 million.
• Merck received important regulatory wins, including FDA approval for Keytruda-based treatment in advanced triple-negative breast cancer and EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev in certain bladder cancer patients.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS and revenue both beating estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equal to a 2.6% yield.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 659,851 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 31,083 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $79,373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after buying an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock worth $53,918,000 after acquiring an additional 359,356 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced FDA approval for Keytruda and Keytruda Qlex, each combined with Gilead’s Trodelvy, as a first-line treatment for PD-L1+ advanced triple-negative breast cancer, expanding a major revenue-driving franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also won EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev in resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients who cannot receive cisplatin chemotherapy, another label expansion that could support future sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Gilead continues to generate attention after positive HIV trial results, helping reinforce confidence in the company’s research pipeline and strategic partnerships. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck was highlighted in CNBC’s “Final Trades,” which reflects ongoing market attention but does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that MRK is a trending stock, suggesting elevated investor interest rather than a specific new operating development. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

MRK opened at $128.35 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $116.08 and its 200-day moving average is $114.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $128.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $316.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.15, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.21.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.72.

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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