NEOS Investment Management LLC Purchases 40,020 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• NEOS Investment Management increased its Merck stake by 11% in the second quarter, purchasing 40,020 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 404,459 shares valued at approximately $52.0 million.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, surpassing analyst estimates, while earnings per share also beat expectations. The company raised or maintained fiscal 2026 guidance at $2.66–$2.76 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 15 Buy ratings and eight Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $147.60. Merck also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, yielding about 2.2% annually.

NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 404,459 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,020 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $51,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 15,636 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock worth $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $152.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.86, a PEG ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $156.92. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $134.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.33. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

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

In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Barclays increased their target price 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. Bank of America raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $147.60.

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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