Glenview Trust Co Buys 9,616 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Glenview Trust Co increased its Merck stake by 2.6% in the first quarter, buying 9,616 more shares and bringing its total to 376,892 shares valued at about $45.3 million.
• Merck shares were down 2.4% in the session, opening at $124.41, while the company’s market cap stood at roughly $307.3 billion.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of -$1.28 versus -$1.47 expected and revenue of $16.29 billion, and it also pays a $0.85 quarterly dividend yielding about 2.7% annualized.

Glenview Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 376,892 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,616 shares during the quarter. Glenview Trust Co's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $45,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $124.41 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $131.74. The company's 50-day moving average price is $120.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $307.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05, a P/E/G ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $133.94.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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