Nordea Investment Management AB Sells 371,366 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Nordea Investment Management AB cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 10,573,821 shares of the company’s stock after selling 371,366 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 1.0% of Nordea Investment Management AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,115,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the third quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 11,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the third quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 3,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%

MRK opened at $114.17 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $282.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $115.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.75.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.