Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 954,267 shares of the company's stock after selling 127,430 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $100,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,659,157 shares of the company's stock worth $1,733,923,000 after buying an additional 1,156,112 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of 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 stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% during 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 period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%
Shares of MRK opened at $118.99 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $293.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.26. The company's fifty day moving average is $119.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.12. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.47.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
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.
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