Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Position Boosted by Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Fairvoy Private Wealth increased its Merck position by 426.3% in the third quarter, ending with 25,093 shares valued at approximately $3.65 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with 17 Buy ratings and 10 Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $151.92.
• Merck shares fell 1.6% to $143.58, while insiders sold about 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million over the past 90 days. The company reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, yielding approximately 2.4%.

Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 426.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,093 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,325 shares during the period. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Trellis Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $94,000. Clark Financial Services Group Inc. BD boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clark Financial Services Group Inc. BD now owns 4,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $722,000 after purchasing an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 6,003 shares of the company's stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 40.3% in the 3rd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the company's stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crown Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,038 shares of the company's stock worth $732,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $143.58. The company had a trading volume of 10,447,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,644,813. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The firm has a market cap of $354.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.31.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck's principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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