Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Lowered by MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB

Key Points

• MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB reduced its Merck stake by 6.9% in the third quarter, selling 10,415 shares and retaining 140,363 shares valued at approximately $20.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Merck insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million in the last quarter, including substantial sales by two executive vice presidents. Insiders now own just 0.17% of the company.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, up 5.1% year over year and above analyst expectations, while declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.85. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $145.76.

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,363 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,415 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 12,270 shares of the company's stock worth $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the third quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company's stock worth $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.3% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 105,500 shares of the company's stock worth $13,557,000 after acquiring an additional 23,240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,996,890 shares of the company's stock worth $513,599,000 after acquiring an additional 143,914 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $144.24 on Monday. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $142.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.39, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. 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 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business 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 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Argus lifted 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. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.76.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.

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