Auto Owners Insurance Co Has $76.84 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 10,426.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 768,398 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 761,098 shares during the quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $76,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $551,000. Cedarwood Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Worthington Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $570,000. Finally, Bayban acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $115.94 and its 200 day moving average is $113.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. 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 year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

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.