National Pension Service Has $609.40 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Merck stake by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 5.79 million shares valued at about $609.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Merck remains generally positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $128.18, though recent analyst moves were mixed.
• Merck recently reported quarterly results that beat EPS and revenue estimates, and it also announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend payable in July for an annualized yield of about 2.8%.

National Pension Service raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,789,424 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 82,039 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.23% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $609,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $906,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MRK opened at $119.87 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.40 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $116.31 and its 200-day moving average is $111.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $296.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck shareholders approved the company’s board nominees, executive pay package, and auditor ratification at its annual meeting, reinforcing governance continuity and removing a potential overhang. Merck Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor Ratification
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced participation in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which can spark investor attention if management provides updates on pipeline progress, guidance, or strategic priorities. Merck to Participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s chicken bronchitis vaccine was approved for use in China, expanding a potential animal-health opportunity in a large market and adding a modest growth catalyst. Merck chicken bronchitis vaccine approved for use in China
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck congratulated Ontario on expanding pharmacy scope rules, a policy development that is favorable for healthcare access but has no immediate direct financial impact on MRK. Merck Congratulates Ontario Government on Expanding Pharmacy Scope to Help Improve Access to Care
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck remained a heavily watched stock in Zacks coverage and on analyst/market screens, but those mentions were not tied to a new fundamental development. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s upcoming Jefferies appearance and shareholder-call materials may keep attention on the stock, but they do not yet signal a clear change in earnings outlook. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Shareholder/Analyst Call - Slideshow

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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