Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by First Horizon Corp

Key Points

• First Horizon Corp boosted its Merck stake by 38.1% in the first quarter, buying 44,269 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 160,464 shares worth about $19.3 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$1.28 versus estimates of -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion, topping analyst forecasts and rising 4.9% year over year.
• The stock has support from institutions and analysts, with 76.07% institutional ownership and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating; however, Morgan Stanley recently reiterated an equal-weight view and trimmed its price target to $113.

First Horizon Corp increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 38.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 160,464 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,269 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $19,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company's stock worth $12,737,504,000 after acquiring an additional 1,859,990 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock worth $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,731,018,000 after purchasing an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

MRK stock opened at $125.17 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $118.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.23. The company has a market capitalization of $309.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s KEYTRUDA franchise got a boost from recent U.S. and EU approvals in breast and bladder cancer, expanding its use in hard-to-treat tumors and strengthening the company’s oncology growth story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also reached a new access agreement for its HIV treatment, IDVYNSO, which could modestly improve market access and commercial momentum for the product. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive on Merck, including recent price-target increases from RBC and Wells Fargo, reflecting confidence in the company’s pipeline and KEYTRUDA-driven earnings power. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck has been attracting elevated investor attention, but the related coverage is more about monitoring the stock’s setup than a new business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market report on Southeast Asia oncology drug access listed Merck among peer companies, highlighting the broader opportunity for cancer therapy access but not pointing to a company-specific development. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $113 and kept an equal-weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside from current levels and reinforcing valuation caution. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $132.72.

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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