Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 834,024 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,658 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $87,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,997,933,000. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $585,192,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 985.4% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,969,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,826,000 after buying an additional 3,603,769 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.2%

MRK opened at $115.10 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $284.27 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $116.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 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) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company 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. Merck & Co., Inc.’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

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.