Secure Asset Management LLC Has $559,000 Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Secure Asset Management LLC lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 83.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,350 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,955 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $559,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in 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. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,012,530,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 985.4% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,969,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,826,000 after purchasing an additional 3,603,769 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $151.85 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $374.63 billion, a PE ratio of 121.48, a PEG ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $133.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.11.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.60.

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.