Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its Merck stake by 36.3% in the second quarter, holding 224,529 shares valued at approximately $28.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Analyst sentiment is positive, with 15 Buy ratings and eight Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $147.60. Morgan Stanley and Argus recently raised their ratings or targets.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, while shares opened at $148.30. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 36.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 224,529 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 59,854 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $28,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock worth $2,590,000 after buying an additional 15,636 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 22nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued 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 $147.60.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $148.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The stock has a market cap of $365.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.64, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $131.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.41.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

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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