Kingsview Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Kingsview Wealth Management cut its Merck stake by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 60,214 shares and leaving it with 156,956 shares worth about $16.5 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$1.28 versus the -$1.47 consensus and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share and continues to have a broadly positive analyst outlook, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $128.18.

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 156,956 shares of the company's stock after selling 60,214 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $16,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in 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. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company's stock worth $906,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $120.27 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $116.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.40 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $297.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'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. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Guggenheim upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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