OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp Grows Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its Merck stake by 480.1% in the first quarter, ending with 1,598,927 shares valued at about $192.3 million.
• Brokerages remain generally constructive on Merck, with recent price-target increases from firms including UBS and Scotiabank; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and a $133.94 average target.
• Merck’s latest news centers on its investigational HIV PrEP drug alimatravir, with access plans and licensing agreements covering 129 countries, while a new generic Janumet XR launch could pressure diabetes-related sales.

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 480.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,598,927 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,323,314 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.2% of OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp owned 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $192,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company's stock worth $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 23,433 shares of the company's stock worth $2,819,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $133.94.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced initial access plans for alimatravir, its investigational once-monthly oral HIV PrEP in Phase 3 development, and said it has signed voluntary licensing agreements covering 129 countries. That broad access strategy could support adoption in large international markets if the drug is approved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also issued a company release on the same alimatravir access plan, reinforcing that the program is moving forward and that it is trying to expand availability in regions that account for most new HIV diagnoses globally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders also bought a high volume of Merck call options, which may reflect rising bullish speculation around the stock and the HIV pipeline, but it does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Par Health launched the first generic version of Janumet XR in the U.S., which may pressure Merck’s diabetes-related sales and adds another competitive headwind for an established product. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

MRK stock opened at $131.06 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $121.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.71. The stock has a market cap of $323.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.92, a PEG ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $131.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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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