Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Acquires 142,409 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas increased its Merck stake by 62.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 142,409 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 370,936 shares valued at about $39.0 million.
• Other large institutional investors also added to or initiated positions in Merck, and institutions now own 76.07% of the company’s stock, underscoring strong professional ownership interest.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS and revenue both topping estimates, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $128.18.

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 62.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 370,936 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 142,409 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 2.1% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas' holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $39,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. DLD Asset Management LP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $585,192,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,336,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $120.27 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $116.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $111.17. The company has a market capitalization of $297.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The business's revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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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