Westover Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 6,192 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Westover Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 109.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,842 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,192 shares during the period. Westover Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE MRK opened at $123.56 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $305.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.

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.