Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 217,330 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its Merck stake by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 217,330 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 2,527,577 shares worth about $266 million.
• Merck has received a generally favorable view from Wall Street, with recent analyst actions including price-target increases and upgraded ratings; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $128.18.
• In its latest quarterly results, Merck beat earnings and revenue estimates, reported $16.29 billion in revenue, and reiterated full-year guidance; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share payable on July 8, yielding about 2.9% annually.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,527,577 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 217,330 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $266,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $115.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $116.42 and a 200-day moving average of $111.81. The company has a market cap of $284.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.40 and a one year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

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.