Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC increased its Merck stake by 209.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 15,009 shares valued at about $1.58 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted positions, and hedge funds now own 76.07% of Merck’s shares, signaling continued institutional interest in the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Merck, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $128.18; the company also recently beat earnings estimates and raised its FY 2026 guidance.

Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 209.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,009 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,165 shares during the quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares during the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,866,000. Finally, Norris Perne & French LLP MI grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,543,000 after purchasing an additional 28,635 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $115.67 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.53. The company has a market capitalization of $285.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.21. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The company'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. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

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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