Swiss National Bank Buys 440,700 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,284,151 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 440,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $876,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $127.47 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $131.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $314.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $120.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Scotiabank upped their price target 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.94.

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.