Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.

Key Points

• TD Waterhouse Canada reduced its Merck stake by 11% in the second quarter, selling 43,595 shares and retaining 354,395 shares valued at approximately $44.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, while adjusted earnings per share beat expectations by $0.13; revenue increased 5.1% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $147.60.
• Merck declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.40 dividend and a 2.2% yield. Company insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million during the latest quarter.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 354,395 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,595 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $44,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

MRK opened at $152.32 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $134.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $375.80 billion, a PE ratio of 121.86, a P/E/G ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The company's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Argus boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.60.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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