Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 26.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 507,815 shares of the company’s stock after selling 178,382 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.4% of Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $61,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK opened at $130.86 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $132.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $323.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of 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. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.

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.