Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $35.73 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Sequoia Financial Advisors trimmed its Merck stake by 3.0% in the first quarter, but still held 297,046 shares valued at about $35.7 million at quarter-end.
• Merck shares were down 1.1% in Friday trading at $123.72, giving the company a market cap of about $305.6 billion; the stock remains near its 52-week high of $130.29.
• Merck recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, and analysts remain generally constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $132.72.

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 297,046 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,097 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $35,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,973,983,000 after buying an additional 5,152,069 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of MRK stock traded down $1.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $123.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,388,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,797,806. The company has a market cap of $305.56 billion, a PE ratio of 34.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $118.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $132.72.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, each combined with Padcev, for use before and after surgery in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This expands Merck’s flagship oncology franchise and could add to future revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley slightly raising its price target and RBC Capital reiterating a Buy rating. That suggests Wall Street still sees upside despite the stock’s recent run. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck continues to attract investor attention thanks to strong year-to-date performance, a solid dividend yield, and a long record of dividend growth, which may support demand for the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes Merck is one of the more widely watched healthcare names on Zacks, but these mentions do not appear to add any new fundamental catalyst on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat news flow, the shares also face ongoing valuation and post-KEYTRUDA exclusivity concerns, which may limit upside if investors focus on Merck’s long-term patent risk. Article Title

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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