Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK is Wellington Management Group LLP's 8th Largest Position

Key Points

• Wellington Management increased its Merck stake by 2.3% in the second quarter to 86.25 million shares, worth approximately $11.08 billion and representing 1.9% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive, with 15 Buy ratings and eight Holds. Merck has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $147.60, while several firms recently raised their targets.
• Merck exceeded quarterly revenue and adjusted earnings expectations, reporting $16.61 billion in revenue and a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.1%. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, or $3.40 annualized.

Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.9% of Wellington Management Group LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 3.50% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $11,083,033,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $355,000. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,843,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $279,000. LM Advisors LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,814,000. Finally, TrinityBridge Ltd bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $446,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $148.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a PE ratio of 118.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.19. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $131.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

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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