Van ECK Associates Corp Has $446.93 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• VanEck Associates raised its stake in Merck by 61.6% during the third quarter to 5,325,033 shares, a position worth approximately $446.93 million and about 0.21% of the company.
• Merck beat quarterly estimates with $2.04 EPS (vs. $2.01 expected) and $16.4B revenue, set FY2026 guidance of 5.000–5.150 EPS, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 (annual yield ~2.9%).
• Institutional investors own about 76.07% of Merck, with large new or increased stakes from DLD Asset Management, Norges Bank, Franklin Resources, Arrowstreet and Charles Schwab, while insiders sold 320,176 shares last quarter (insider ownership ~0.09%).

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 61.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,325,033 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,029,342 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.21% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $446,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company's stock worth $1,540,145,000 after purchasing an additional 5,094,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company's stock worth $4,263,991,000 after purchasing an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $117.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $289.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $114.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRK. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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