Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by ABN AMRO Bank N.V.

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 136,228 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,149 shares during the quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Cascade Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock worth $1,118,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company's stock worth $1,124,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company's stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 9,603 shares of the company's stock worth $1,234,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $150.67 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $154.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock's fifty day moving average is $128.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $371.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 120.54, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $144.10.

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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