NBH Bank Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• NBH Bank purchased 10,243 Merck shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.316 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.60; recent ratings included price-target increases from Bank of America and Barclays.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% annual yield. Meanwhile, insiders sold roughly $30 million of shares over the past three months.

NBH Bank purchased 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 Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 10,243 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,316,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.60.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.3%

MRK opened at $150.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The company's 50 day moving average price is $134.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.30, a PEG ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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