Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 10,305 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its Merck stake by 38.3%, buying 10,305 shares to hold 37,211 shares valued at about $3.917 million at quarter-end.
• Insiders have been net sellers: EVPs Richard R. Deluca and Jennifer Zachary sold 37,685 and 121,573 shares respectively, and insiders disposed of 320,176 shares worth roughly $38.28 million in the last quarter.
• Merck beat estimates and affirmed growth: Q earnings of $2.04 EPS topped the $2.01 estimate, revenue rose 5% year-over-year to $16.40 billion, FY2026 EPS guidance is 5.000–5.150, and the stock yields 2.8% after a $0.85 quarterly dividend.

Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 38.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,211 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,305 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company's stock worth $6,407,000 after buying an additional 13,285 shares during the last quarter. First Pacific Financial boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company's stock worth $3,991,000 after buying an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company's stock worth $17,444,000 after buying an additional 18,187 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company's stock worth $3,121,000 after buying an additional 7,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $121.41 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $119.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.65. The company has a market cap of $299.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.59.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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