Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Has $9.87 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Lockheed Martin Investment Management cut its Merck stake by 33.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 47,500 shares and leaving it with 93,800 shares valued at about $9.87 million.
• Other hedge funds also made small adjustments to Merck holdings, and institutional investors still own a large majority of the stock at 76.07%.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $128.18.

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 33.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 93,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 47,500 shares during the quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company's stock worth $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company's stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.37 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company's 50-day moving average price is $116.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS 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 analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. One equities research 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.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

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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