SEB Asset Management AB Takes $197.55 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• SEB Asset Management AB disclosed a new first-quarter position in Merck, buying 1,642,285 shares worth about $197.6 million. The stake represents roughly 0.8% of SEB’s portfolio and makes Merck its 18th-largest holding.
• Other institutional investors also added to Merck, and overall institutional ownership stands at 76.07% of the company’s shares. This suggests continued broad interest from large investors.
• Analysts remain constructive on Merck, with several raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average target of $133.94. The article also notes Merck recently beat earnings and revenue estimates and continues to advance its pipeline amid long-term patent-cliff concerns.

SEB Asset Management AB bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,642,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $197,550,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.8% of SEB Asset Management AB's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. SEB Asset Management AB owned about 0.07% of Merck & Co., Inc. as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 7,284,151 shares of the company's stock worth $876,211,000 after buying an additional 440,700 shares during the last quarter. World Equity Group Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 10,296 shares of the company's stock worth $1,239,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $294,000. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Finally, Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,025,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $133.94.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%

MRK stock opened at $127.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $120.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.94. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $131.74. The company has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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