USS Investment Management Ltd Purchases 10,994 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd increased its Merck stake by 2.6% in the first quarter, buying 10,994 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 434,031 shares valued at about $52.2 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with revenue of $16.29 billion and EPS of -$1.28 beating analyst estimates. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance and analysts currently expect full-year EPS of about 5.18.
• Merck announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, payable July 8, and the stock has also seen bullish analyst activity, including higher price targets from Bank of America and Scotiabank.

USS Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 434,031 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,994 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $52,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $128.41 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.17, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Merck to $141 from $130 and reiterated a buy rating, while Scotiabank lifted its target to $155 from $136 with a sector outperform view, signaling stronger Wall Street confidence in the stock’s upside. Bank of America and Scotiabank raise Merck price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted Merck’s lung cancer drug pipeline, saying an upcoming phase 3 readout for OptiTrop-Lung06 could improve the commercial outlook for SAC-TMT and boost future sales potential. Merck's Lung Cancer Drug Seen Boosting Sales Potential, BofA Says
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced an agreement with the ADAP Crisis Task Force to improve access to HIV treatment through state programs, which may modestly support sentiment around its infectious-disease franchise. Merck Announces New Agreement with ADAP Crisis Task Force
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare stocks were softer late Tuesday, which may have added some pressure even as Merck continued to attract company-specific buying interest. Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Softer Late Afternoon
• Negative Sentiment: Merck is also facing a bipartisan U.S. House investigation into whether clinical trials conducted in China, including at military-linked hospitals and in Xinjiang, raised national security or data-protection concerns, which could weigh on sentiment if the probe escalates. Merck (MRK) Faces U.S. Security Probe Over China Clinical Trials

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Bank of America raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.83.

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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