Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Groupe la Francaise

Groupe la Francaise grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 254.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 260,892 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 187,341 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $33,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 11,355 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,470,000. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company's stock worth $137,022,000 after purchasing an additional 320,143 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company's stock worth $331,931,000 after purchasing an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company's stock worth $193,999,000 after purchasing an additional 224,752 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE MRK opened at $150.37 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $134.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.53. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.58 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MRK. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.60.

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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