Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $137.98 and last traded at $135.3360, with a volume of 10283681 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $135.97.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.50.
Check Out Our Latest Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.5%
The stock has a market cap of $333.90 billion, a PE ratio of 108.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $126.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.43.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 272.00%.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew 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 worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew 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 worth $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 15,636 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the second quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,054,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,918,000 after buying an additional 359,356 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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