LGT Group Foundation Sells 72,228 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• LGT Group Foundation trimmed its Merck stake by 17.9%, selling 72,228 shares and leaving 331,240 shares valued at $29.855 million.
• Company insiders have been active sellers — including the CFO and an EVP — with insiders selling 320,176 shares worth $38.28 million in the past three months, leaving insiders owning 0.09% of the stock.
• Analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $125.88, and several firms have raised targets as high as $140.

LGT Group Foundation trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,240 shares of the company's stock after selling 72,228 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $29,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chemung Canal Trust Co. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,407,000 after buying an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company's stock worth $3,991,000 after acquiring an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,444,000 after acquiring an additional 18,187 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,121,000 after acquiring an additional 7,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $1,168,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:MRK opened at $115.85 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $114.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.71. The stock has a market cap of $286.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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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