Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Burney Co.

Key Points

• Burney Co. cut its stake in Merck by 45.6% in Q4, selling 19,193 shares and leaving it with 22,879 shares worth about $2.41 million.
• Merck beat quarterly expectations with $2.04 EPS (vs. $2.01 est.) and $16.40 billion in revenue, set FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.00–5.15, and carries a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $127.59.
• Company insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares ($38.28 million) over the past three months (including recent EVP and other executive sales); corporate insiders now own just 0.09% while institutions hold about 76.07% of the stock.

Burney Co. lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 45.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,879 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,193 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after buying an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,733,923,000 after buying an additional 1,156,112 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after buying an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after buying an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,945,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $876,600,000 after buying an additional 209,759 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $121.41 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. The firm's 50-day moving average is $119.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.83. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at $2,583,278.39. The trade was a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.59.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.