HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 50,990 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its Merck stake by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 50,990 shares and leaving it with 3,818,135 shares worth about $401.9 million.
• Wall Street remains cautiously optimistic on Merck, with analysts assigning a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.
• Merck posted a better-than-expected quarter, reporting EPS of -$1.28 versus estimates of -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion, while also issuing FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.04 to 5.16.

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,818,135 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,990 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $401,897,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth 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 stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth 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. Intrua Financial LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $906,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Payne Capital LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $112.63 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $115.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.40 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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