Fullerton Fund Management Co Ltd. Purchases New Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Fullerton Fund Management opened a new position in Merck & Co. during the fourth quarter, buying 10,351 shares valued at about $1.09 million.
• Institutional interest in Merck remains strong overall, with several other funds increasing holdings and 76.07% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Analysts currently rate Merck as a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $128.18, while the company also reported better-than-expected quarterly results and maintains a 3.0% dividend yield.

Fullerton Fund Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,090,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 24,576 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock worth $10,296,000 after buying an additional 32,114 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 347,684 shares of the company's stock worth $29,181,000 after buying an additional 99,074 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,866,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. 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. Finally, 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. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $115.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $284.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $116.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.46. 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 $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.