Sapient Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Sapient Capital LLC cut its Merck stake by 55.3% in the second quarter, selling 9,075 shares and retaining 7,327 shares valued at approximately $948,000. Institutional investors overall own 76.07% of Merck’s outstanding stock.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding expectations, while adjusted EPS of $0.13 beat consensus estimates. Revenue increased 5.1% year over year, and the company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.66–$2.76.
• Merck declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a $3.40 annualized payout and a 2.6% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $134.56.

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,327 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,075 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock worth $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares in the last quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company's stock worth $26,543,000 after purchasing an additional 28,635 shares in the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% during the 4th quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company's stock worth $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 11,355 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company's stock worth $137,022,000 after purchasing an additional 320,143 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 6,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.38, for a total value of $788,799.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 155,487 shares in the company, valued at $20,272,395.06. This represents a 3.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 92,603 shares of company stock valued at $11,966,744 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.7%

MRK opened at $130.72 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $135.05. 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 $322.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 104.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.19. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $124.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.56.

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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