L & S Advisors Inc Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• L & S Advisors Inc. boosted its Merck stake by 557.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 120,990 shares worth about $12.7 million.
• Other institutional investors also added to MRK, and hedge funds and institutions now own 76.07% of the company’s shares, signaling continued professional interest.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of ($1.28) versus an estimated ($1.47) and revenue of $16.29 billion topping forecasts; analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $128.18.

L & S Advisors Inc grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 557.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 120,990 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 102,592 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.2% of L & S Advisors Inc's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. L & S Advisors Inc's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,731,000 after acquiring an additional 24,576 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,296,000 after acquiring an additional 32,114 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.9% in the third quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 347,684 shares of the company's stock worth $29,181,000 after purchasing an additional 99,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $1,866,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $111.36 on Friday. 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. has a 1 year low of $74.37 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm's 50-day moving average is $116.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.21. The stock has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The firm'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, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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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