Vest Financial LLC Has $7.63 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in Merck by 28.8% in Q4 to 72,504 shares, valued at approximately $7.63 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Analysts rate MRK an average of Moderate Buy with a mean price target of $128.47, and several recent upgrades include Deutsche Bank (Buy, $150) and Wolfe Research (Outperform, $135).
• Insiders sold 320,176 shares worth about $38.28 million over the last quarter (including notable sales by the CEO and CMO), leaving corporate insiders with only 0.17% ownership.

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 28.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,504 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,223 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,632,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DLD Asset Management LP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company's stock worth $1,336,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735,459 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company's stock worth $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 61.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,325,033 shares of the company's stock worth $446,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,029,342 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $110.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.35. The company has a market capitalization of $272.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at $9,825,356.20. This represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.