Leonteq Securities AG Decreases Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG trimmed its Merck stake by 13.2% in the first quarter, selling 18,284 shares and leaving it with 120,645 shares valued at about $14.5 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$1.28 beating estimates and revenue of $16.29 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 4.9% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of 2.6%, even as analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus.

Leonteq Securities AG decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 120,645 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,284 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 0.5% of Leonteq Securities AG's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Leonteq Securities AG's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. 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. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The firm's fifty day moving average is $117.04 and its 200 day moving average is $115.27. The company has a market cap of $319.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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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