Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by HB Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• HB Wealth Management LLC increased its Merck position by 5.8% in the first quarter, buying 13,245 additional shares and bringing its total stake to 241,439 shares valued at about $29.0 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$1.28 versus -$1.47 expected and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $131.83.

HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 241,439 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,245 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $29,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company's stock worth $1,635,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the first 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 during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. 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. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The firm's 50 day moving average is $117.37 and its 200-day moving average is $115.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19.

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 the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average 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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