Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Decreases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA reduced its Merck stake by 18.8% in the first quarter, selling 20,445 shares and leaving it with 88,573 shares worth about $10.65 million.
• Merck’s latest quarterly results beat analyst expectations, with EPS of -$1.28 versus estimates of -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.6%; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $131.83.

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 18.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,573 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,445 shares during the quarter. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $10,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock worth $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,737,504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859,990 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock worth $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company's stock worth $6,307,572,000 after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DLD Asset Management LP lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock worth $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $129.34 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $319.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $130.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have 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 report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.83.

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.

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