Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Has $383.83 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Royal London Asset Management increased its Merck stake by 3.1% in the second quarter to 2.99 million shares, valued at approximately $383.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 76.07% of MRK.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, while adjusted earnings per share also beat expectations. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $147.60.
• Merck declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a $3.40 annualized payout and a 2.3% yield. Company insiders sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million during the last quarter.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,987,037 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 90,883 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.7% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.12% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $383,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company's stock worth $12,737,504,000 after buying an additional 1,859,990 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock worth $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after acquiring an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,731,018,000 after acquiring an additional 359,486 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of MRK opened at $148.30 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $131.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 118.64, a PEG ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $156.92. 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 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 company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly 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, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $147.60.

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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