Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer reduced its Merck stake by 11.9% in the third quarter, selling 442,242 shares and retaining 3.29 million shares worth approximately $480.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Merck reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with adjusted EPS of $2.49 versus the $2.09 consensus and revenue of $18.09 billion, up 4.7% year over year.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive: 17 analysts rate the stock a Buy, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $156.08.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich trimmed its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,287,708 shares of the company's stock after selling 442,242 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.2% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned approximately 0.13% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $480,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock worth $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company's stock worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.75 on Monday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $146.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a PE ratio of 154.38, a PEG ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck's principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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