MUFG Securities EMEA plc Sells 607,057 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc sharply reduced its stake in Merck & Co. during the fourth quarter, selling 607,057 shares and cutting its holdings by 79%. After the sale, it owned 161,752 shares valued at about $17.0 million.
• Merck reported quarterly results that beat Wall Street expectations, with EPS of -$1.28 versus an expected -$1.47 and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of 5.04 to 5.16.
• Analysts remain generally positive on MRK, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $128.18. Merck also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equal to a 2.9% annual yield.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 79.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 161,752 shares of the company's stock after selling 607,057 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,026,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $118.49 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company has a market capitalization of $292.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to calderasib (MK-1084) with Keytruda in a lung cancer indication, a sign the program may move faster and expand Merck’s oncology growth prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and recent articles highlighted Merck’s newer drugs, pipeline assets, and M&A options as potential offsets to looming Keytruda patent expiration, reinforcing the bull case for long-term growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has also been drawing investor attention as a trending stock and has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, suggesting market confidence remains relatively strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which could provide an update on strategy but is not itself a major business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders backed board nominees, pay, and auditor ratification at the annual meeting, which reduces governance uncertainty but is unlikely to move the stock much. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The main longer-term concern remains Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity, which could pressure Merck’s biggest revenue driver if replacement products do not scale quickly enough. Article Title

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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