Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Has $35.07 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 272,942 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,920 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $35,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 9,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price 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. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued 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 $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $148.30 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $131.78 and a 200-day moving average of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $365.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 118.64, a P/E/G ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.