Rockland Trust Co. Lowers Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Rockland Trust reduced its Merck stake by 6.5% in the third quarter, selling 31,616 shares and retaining 458,433 shares valued at approximately $66.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Merck shares fell 2.8% to $140.28, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $146.36; price targets ranged from $105 to $175.
• The company reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, ahead of estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, representing a 2.4% yield. Corporate insiders have sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million over the past 90 days.

Rockland Trust Co. lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 458,433 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,616 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 2.5% of Rockland Trust Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Rockland Trust Co.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $66,615,000 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. Polaris Financial Partners bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 12,270 shares of the company's stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,292,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 105,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,557,000 after buying an additional 23,240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,996,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $513,599,000 after acquiring an additional 143,914 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.8%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $4.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $140.28. 4,380,871 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,682,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $142.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $346.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $146.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

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