Occidental Asset Management LLC Buys 11,002 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Occidental Asset Management increased its Merck stake by 24% in the second quarter, buying 11,002 shares to hold 56,777 shares valued at approximately $7.3 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on MRK, with an average price target of $147.60; recent actions included target increases from BMO Capital Markets and Bank of America, though Jefferies downgraded the stock to “hold.”
• Merck shares recently traded near their 52-week high after quarterly revenue rose 5.1% year over year and earnings beat expectations, while insiders sold about $30 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,777 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,002 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.7% of Occidental Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Occidental Asset Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,296,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company's stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company's stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 9,603 shares of the company's stock worth $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $147.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive topline INTerpath-001 results strengthened expectations that the vaccine could extend KEYTRUDA’s growth runway and create a potentially important new oncology franchise. Merck Surges on a Melanoma Win
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their valuation expectations: Wolfe Research increased its price target to $180 and assigned an “outperform” rating, while Argus raised its target to $170 and reiterated a “buy” rating. Wolfe Research Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also anticipating a concentrated series of regulatory decisions and clinical readouts this fall, which could produce additional upside if Merck’s pipeline delivers. What Would It Take to Get MRK Stock to $200?
• Neutral Sentiment: The cancer-vaccine opportunity remains early. The available evidence is limited, and potential barriers include manufacturing complexity, cost, patient selection, and the need for regulatory review and broader clinical validation. How the Merck/Moderna Cancer Vaccine Works
• Negative Sentiment: After the recent rally, MRK is trading near or above several analysts’ prior targets, leaving less room for disappointment and making future gains increasingly dependent on successful trial results, FDA decisions, and evidence that the post-KEYTRUDA growth strategy can scale.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.9%

NYSE:MRK opened at $156.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.80. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $386.22 billion, a PE ratio of 125.23, a PEG ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The business's 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 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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