SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $841,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 24,576 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,296,000 after purchasing an additional 32,114 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 347,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,181,000 after purchasing an additional 99,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,866,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:MRK opened at $120.81 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.19. The company has a market cap of $298.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck Animal Health announced a definitive agreement to acquire TARGAN, adding a biodevice company focused on poultry performance and strengthening Merck’s animal health growth platform. Merck Animal Health to Acquire TARGAN
• Positive Sentiment: MRK regained its 50-day moving average and remains above its 200-day trendline, with articles pointing to Keytruda growth, pipeline advances, and recent deals as supporting factors. Merck Stock Moves Above 50-Day SMA: Assessing Its Investment Case
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Buy rating on Merck, reinforcing a constructive analyst view on the stock. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent “most searched stocks” and market commentary indicate rising investor attention, but do not point to a specific new fundamental development for MRK. Investors Heavily Search Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare-dealmaking momentum may be supportive for sector sentiment, but it is an indirect driver for Merck rather than a company-specific catalyst. Pharma and Biotech M&A Boom Accelerates as Companies Expand Pipelines
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting Merck’s recent outperformance versus its moving averages and strong Keytruda franchise are supportive, but largely reflect ongoing investor optimism rather than a new surprise. Merck Stock Moves Above 50-Day SMA: Assessing Its Investment Case
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said Merck rose but still lagged the broader market, implying investors may be favoring faster-moving names elsewhere despite MRK’s gains. Merck (MRK) Rises Yet Lags Behind Market: Some Facts Worth Knowing

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.