Pincus Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 42,804 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Pincus Capital Management LP initiated a new position in Merck, buying 42,804 shares valued at about $4.5 million. The stake represents roughly 3.0% of the fund’s holdings and is its 7th largest position.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their Merck holdings, and overall 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutions. Analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus on MRK, with an average price target of $128.18.
• Merck shares were trading around $115.28, down 2.9% on the day, after the company reported quarterly earnings that beat EPS and revenue estimates. Merck also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, implying a 2.9% yield.

Pincus Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 42,804 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,506,000. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 3.0% of Pincus Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the 2nd 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 period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% in the 2nd 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 period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,897 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $53,918,000 after purchasing an additional 359,356 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.9%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $115.28 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.40 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.47, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $111.81.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue 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. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. 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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