Addenda Capital Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,595 shares during the period. Addenda Capital Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. DLD Asset Management LP grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock worth $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,733,923,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156,112 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,945,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $876,600,000 after purchasing an additional 209,759 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.3%
MRK opened at $123.25 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $118.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $304.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.
Key Merck & Co., Inc. News
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.59.
View Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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