Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Cannell & Spears LLC

Cannell & Spears LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 130.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 798,223 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 452,283 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.9% of Cannell & Spears LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Cannell & Spears LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $95,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced initial access plans for alimatravir, its investigational once-monthly oral HIV PrEP in Phase 3 development, and said it has signed voluntary licensing agreements covering 129 countries. That broad access strategy could support adoption in large international markets if the drug is approved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also issued a company release on the same alimatravir access plan, reinforcing that the program is moving forward and that it is trying to expand availability in regions that account for most new HIV diagnoses globally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders also bought a high volume of Merck call options, which may reflect rising bullish speculation around the stock and the HIV pipeline, but it does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Par Health launched the first generic version of Janumet XR in the U.S., which may pressure Merck’s diabetes-related sales and adds another competitive headwind for an established product. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $131.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $323.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.19. The stock's 50-day moving average is $121.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.71. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $131.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

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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