Swiss National Bank Acquires 440,700 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank increased its Merck stake by 6.4% in the first quarter, buying 440,700 more shares and bringing its total holding to 7.28 million shares worth about $876.2 million.
• Several analysts turned more upbeat on Merck, with firms like UBS, BMO Capital Markets, Scotiabank, and JPMorgan raising price targets. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $133.94.
• Merck recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, and it also paid a $0.85 quarterly dividend, equating to a 2.7% annual yield. The company is benefiting from FDA approval of Lipfendra, which could add a new cardiovascular revenue stream alongside its oncology pipeline.

Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,284,151 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 440,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.29% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $876,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. 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 raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:MRK opened at $127.47 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $131.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $120.11 and a 200 day moving average of $116.94. The firm has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a PE ratio of 35.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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. 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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