Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Waterloo Capital L.P.

Key Points

• Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its Merck stake by 231.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 26,367 shares valued at about $2.78 million.
• Merck reported quarterly earnings of -$1.28 per share, beating estimates, and revenue of $16.29 billion, also ahead of expectations. The company’s revenue rose 4.9% year over year.
• Merck announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share to be paid July 8, implying an annualized yield of 2.9%. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target price of $128.18.

Waterloo Capital L.P. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 231.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,367 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,421 shares during the quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $118.49 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 one year low of $75.40 and a one year high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $292.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $116.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.46.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.18.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to calderasib (MK-1084) with Keytruda in a lung cancer indication, a sign the program may move faster and expand Merck’s oncology growth prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and recent articles highlighted Merck’s newer drugs, pipeline assets, and M&A options as potential offsets to looming Keytruda patent expiration, reinforcing the bull case for long-term growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has also been drawing investor attention as a trending stock and has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, suggesting market confidence remains relatively strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which could provide an update on strategy but is not itself a major business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders backed board nominees, pay, and auditor ratification at the annual meeting, which reduces governance uncertainty but is unlikely to move the stock much. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The main longer-term concern remains Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity, which could pressure Merck’s biggest revenue driver if replacement products do not scale quickly enough. 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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