HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,679,920 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,516 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $472,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Groupe la Francaise increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 254.7% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 260,892 shares of the company's stock worth $33,528,000 after acquiring an additional 187,341 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $79,559,000. Financial Insights Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $227,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,537.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 484,720,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,286,552,000 after purchasing an additional 480,884,635 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.8% during the second quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,071 shares of the company's stock worth $3,736,000 after purchasing an additional 9,540 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $148.60.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%
Shares of MRK stock opened at $150.37 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $370.99 billion, a PE ratio of 120.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $134.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.53. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $156.92.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
Free Report)
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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