Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Has $46.21 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas reduced its Merck stake by 2.2% in the second quarter, selling 7,925 shares. It still held 359,598 shares valued at approximately $46.21 million, representing 2.2% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 76.07% of Merck, while insiders have sold 228,238 shares worth nearly $30 million over the past 90 days.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $151.32. Merck recently reported $16.61 billion in quarterly revenue and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share.

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 359,598 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,925 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 2.2% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas' investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $46,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12,537.4% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 484,720,247 shares of the company's stock worth $62,286,552,000 after buying an additional 480,884,635 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during 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 buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $1,012,530,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Argus boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $116.00 to $179.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target for Merck (MRK) from $150 to $172 and maintained a “Buy” rating, implying substantial upside from the recent share price. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim also increased its Merck price target to $170, reinforcing the view that the company’s pipeline, newer medicines and potential cancer-drug combinations can support growth beyond Keytruda. Guggenheim increases Merck price target
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its development pipeline and commercial portfolio to reduce reliance on Keytruda ahead of its 2028 patent and exclusivity challenges. This provides a longer-term growth narrative, although execution and successful launches remain important. Merck pipeline and new drugs
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s stock attracted significant investor attention, but the coverage offers limited new fundamental information. Separately, broader pharmaceutical discussion highlighted manufacturing hurdles for personalized cancer vaccines and risks surrounding confidential industry information. Merck and cancer-vaccine risks
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Merck’s valuation looks demanding relative to its growth rate and to faster-growing peers such as Eli Lilly. Those concerns, combined with the future Keytruda revenue gap, likely contributed to the recent weakness despite higher analyst targets. Merck valuation versus Eli Lilly

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $0.69 during trading on Friday, hitting $144.02. The stock had a trading volume of 8,677,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,743,099. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $136.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.26. The company has a market capitalization of $355.33 billion, a PE ratio of 115.22, a PEG ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.58 and a 12 month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets worldwide through its Human Health and Animal Health businesses.

Merck's pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Its products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat various cancers; Gardasil, a vaccine that helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV); and Januvia, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

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