Baer Investment Advisory LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Baer Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,774 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $695,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Canal Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $236,000. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the first quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 35,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,277,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.0% during the first quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 26,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,218,000 after buying an additional 6,019 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 21,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,594,000 after buying an additional 1,443 shares during the period. Finally, Optas LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Optas LLC now owns 10,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,214,000 after buying an additional 1,977 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors 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 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

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.