Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Invests $960,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired 7,473 Merck shares worth approximately $960,000 in the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 15 Buy ratings and seven Holds, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $135.50 price target. Recent target increases include Barclays at $150 and Argus at $145.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, while insiders sold roughly $30 million of stock over the past 90 days. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% annual yield.

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $960,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock worth $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after buying an additional 5,152,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Argus increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven 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 $135.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.2%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $136.09 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $137.17. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $125.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $335.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 108.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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