CPC Advisors LLC Has $483,000 Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

CPC Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 94.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,016 shares of the company’s stock after selling 64,364 shares during the period. CPC Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.4%

MRK stock opened at $115.47 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $285.19 billion, a PE ratio of 32.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. 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.