Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Pinnbrook Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Pinnbrook Capital Management LP nearly doubled its Merck stake in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 95.2% to 23,280 shares worth about $2.45 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding about 76.07% of Merck’s shares after several firms added to their positions.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but still constructive: Merck has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $128.18, while the stock recently traded at $115.86 and beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.

Pinnbrook Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 95.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,280 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,355 shares during the period. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock worth $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock worth $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.9% in the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 347,684 shares of the company's stock worth $29,181,000 after buying an additional 99,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,866,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $115.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $286.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company's 50-day moving average is $115.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Sichuan Kelun-Biotech said their lung cancer combination therapy met the main goal in a late-stage China trial, improving survival in patients with advanced lung cancer and adding to confidence in Merck’s Keytruda-based oncology franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported five-year data showing their skin-cancer combination therapy cut the risk of cancer spreading by 59% in a mid-stage melanoma study, reinforcing the commercial potential of Merck’s immuno-oncology pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Exelixis announced a collaboration with Merck on a late-stage colorectal cancer study, signaling continued pipeline expansion and more shots on goal in oncology. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market roundup highlighted Merck among dividend stocks to consider, but the piece was broad and did not provide company-specific catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A separate article from Zacks argued that Eli Lilly looks stronger than Merck due to Lilly’s GLP-1 momentum and pipeline, which could weigh on sentiment versus MRK’s peers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Merck Animal Health was referred to the FTC and FDA over Bravecto Quantum dosing claims after not complying with an advertising review recommendation, creating a regulatory/reputation overhang for the animal-health business. Article Title

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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