Vest Financial LLC Grows Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 85,329 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,278 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $10,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,731,000 after buying an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% during the fourth quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after buying an additional 11,355 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,022,000 after acquiring an additional 320,143 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,999,000 after acquiring an additional 224,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% in the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,255,000 after acquiring an additional 567,249 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $135.34 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $137.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $126.19 and a 200-day moving average of $120.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.90 billion, a PE ratio of 108.27, a P/E/G ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

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.