Stephens Inc. AR Sells 69,234 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 20.2% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 272,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,234 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $33,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Berger Financial Group Inc boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the first quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 8,427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.8% in the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after acquiring an additional 3,412 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 89,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,821,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, HBE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. HBE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $129.34 on Monday. 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. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The firm has a market cap of $319.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $117.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.