Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stake Trimmed by CX Institutional

Key Points

• CX Institutional cut its Merck stake by 62.7% in the third quarter, selling 59,787 shares and retaining 35,530 shares valued at approximately $5.16 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s stock.
• Merck insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million over the past three months, while insider ownership stands at just 0.17%.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $145.76 price target.

CX Institutional reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 62.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,530 shares of the company's stock after selling 59,787 shares during the period. CX Institutional's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $1,012,530,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of 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. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.7% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,210,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $548,462,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Employees Provident Fund Board acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $254,206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $144.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 115.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $142.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.31. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $145.76.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

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.