SRB Corp Reduces Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• SRB Corp trimmed its Merck stake by 2.1% in the first quarter, selling 10,067 shares and leaving it with 463,298 shares worth about $55.7 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Merck, with several analysts raising price targets; the stock carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $133.94 average target.
• Merck continues to show solid operating momentum, beating quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, while also paying a $0.85 quarterly dividend yielding about 2.6%.

SRB Corp reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 463,298 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,067 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 3.4% of SRB Corp's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. SRB Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $55,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after acquiring an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 15,636 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock worth $3,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock worth $53,918,000 after purchasing an additional 359,356 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $131.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $323.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $131.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.71.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business's quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced initial access plans for alimatravir, its investigational once-monthly oral HIV PrEP in Phase 3 development, and said it has signed voluntary licensing agreements covering 129 countries. That broad access strategy could support adoption in large international markets if the drug is approved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also issued a company release on the same alimatravir access plan, reinforcing that the program is moving forward and that it is trying to expand availability in regions that account for most new HIV diagnoses globally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders also bought a high volume of Merck call options, which may reflect rising bullish speculation around the stock and the HIV pipeline, but it does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Par Health launched the first generic version of Janumet XR in the U.S., which may pressure Merck’s diabetes-related sales and adds another competitive headwind for an established product. 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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