Savant Capital LLC Has $9.29 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its Merck stake by 60.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 137,676 shares and ending with 88,272 shares valued at about $9.29 million.
• Analyst sentiment on Merck remains largely positive, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average target of $128.18.
• Merck reported quarterly results that beat expectations on both earnings and revenue, and it also announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend to be paid July 8, implying a 2.9% yield.

Savant Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 60.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 88,272 shares of the company's stock after selling 137,676 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $118.49 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $292.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.40 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $116.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $111.46.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to calderasib (MK-1084) with Keytruda in a lung cancer indication, a sign the program may move faster and expand Merck’s oncology growth prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and recent articles highlighted Merck’s newer drugs, pipeline assets, and M&A options as potential offsets to looming Keytruda patent expiration, reinforcing the bull case for long-term growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has also been drawing investor attention as a trending stock and has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, suggesting market confidence remains relatively strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which could provide an update on strategy but is not itself a major business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders backed board nominees, pay, and auditor ratification at the annual meeting, which reduces governance uncertainty but is unlikely to move the stock much. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The main longer-term concern remains Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity, which could pressure Merck’s biggest revenue driver if replacement products do not scale quickly enough. Article Title

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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