Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Gotham Asset Management cut its Merck stake by 24.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 144,880 shares and ending with 447,427 shares valued at about $47.1 million.
• Merck reported quarterly earnings of -$1.28 per share, beating analyst expectations, while revenue rose 4.9% year over year to $16.29 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 2.9%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a target price of $128.18.

Gotham Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 447,427 shares of the company's stock after selling 144,880 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $47,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock worth $10,296,000 after buying an additional 32,114 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $1,866,000. Finally, Norris Perne & French LLP MI raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company's stock worth $26,543,000 after acquiring an additional 28,635 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $115.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.69 billion, a PE ratio of 32.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $125.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $116.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company's 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRK. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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