NEOS Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 404,459 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,020 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $51,973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. Argus increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $152.32 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.58 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.86, a P/E/G ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.33.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. 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 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

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.