Profund Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Profund Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,989 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,186 shares during the quarter. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its position 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $112.63 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $278.18 billion, a PE ratio of 31.73, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $115.94 and its 200 day moving average is $109.54. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.40 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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.