Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its Merck stake by 2.5% in the first quarter, buying 12,750 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 522,579 shares worth about $62.9 million.
• Merck’s latest earnings beat expectations, with quarterly EPS of -$1.28 versus estimates of -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion topping forecasts. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of $5.04 to $5.16 EPS.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive overall, as Bank of America and Scotiabank both raised price targets and kept bullish ratings. However, Merck is also facing a U.S. House investigation into China clinical trials, which could weigh on sentiment if it escalates.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 522,579 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,750 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $62,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,635,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 23,433 shares of the company's stock worth $2,819,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $128.41 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.88. The company has a market capitalization of $317.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.17, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Merck to $141 from $130 and reiterated a buy rating, while Scotiabank lifted its target to $155 from $136 with a sector outperform view, signaling stronger Wall Street confidence in the stock’s upside. Bank of America and Scotiabank raise Merck price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted Merck’s lung cancer drug pipeline, saying an upcoming phase 3 readout for OptiTrop-Lung06 could improve the commercial outlook for SAC-TMT and boost future sales potential. Merck's Lung Cancer Drug Seen Boosting Sales Potential, BofA Says
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced an agreement with the ADAP Crisis Task Force to improve access to HIV treatment through state programs, which may modestly support sentiment around its infectious-disease franchise. Merck Announces New Agreement with ADAP Crisis Task Force
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare stocks were softer late Tuesday, which may have added some pressure even as Merck continued to attract company-specific buying interest. Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Softer Late Afternoon
• Negative Sentiment: Merck is also facing a bipartisan U.S. House investigation into whether clinical trials conducted in China, including at military-linked hospitals and in Xinjiang, raised national security or data-protection concerns, which could weigh on sentiment if the probe escalates. Merck (MRK) Faces U.S. Security Probe Over China Clinical Trials

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report 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 issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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