Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,366,188 shares of the company’s stock after selling 70,408 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.29% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $618,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:MRK opened at $110.52 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $112.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $99.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $274.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 44.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $113.25.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck is reported to be in talks to acquire Revolution Medicines in a deal that could value the biotech at roughly $30 billion — a move that would materially bolster Merck’s oncology pipeline and justify a strategic premium in the stock if completed. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts turned more bullish this week: Wolfe Research upgraded MRK to Outperform with a $135 target and Scotiabank reaffirmed a Buy — plus Citi and UBS published forecasts calling for strong upside. These upgrades/support raise positive sentiment and could attract buying interest. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare sector momentum and positive coverage on Merck’s growth profile (Zacks/MarketBeat pieces) are supporting the stock as investors rotate back into defensive, value-priced pharma names. This macro tailwind can amplify positive reactions to company-specific news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: The JPMorgan Healthcare Conference is underway and is expected to generate pipeline updates and potential M&A announcements across the sector; this adds event-driven volatility to MRK in the near term rather than a clear directional signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck publicly urged that U.S. childhood immunization schedule changes be grounded in comprehensive data after the CDC trimmed some recommendations — a policy debate that creates uncertainty around vaccine-related revenues but is not an immediate earnings shock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets (FT, Zacks) echoed the Revolution Medicines talks; until a deal is announced, takeover reports typically produce short-term swings as investors weigh strategic upside vs. deal risk and price. Read More.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.