Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Acquires Shares of 13,322 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Levin Capital Strategies opened a new position in Merck, buying 13,322 shares valued at about $1.6 million in the first quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other investors actively adding to their Merck holdings and owning about 76.07% of the stock.
• Merck’s latest results beat Wall Street estimates on both earnings and revenue, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $133.94.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 13,322 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,603,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock worth $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 15,636 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the second quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,918,000 after purchasing an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $127.61 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $131.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.95, a P/E/G ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.19. The company's 50 day moving average price is $120.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.45.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company's 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.94.

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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