Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Has $81.27 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 25.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 672,535 shares of the company’s stock after selling 229,771 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $81,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independent Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $4,499,000. Enterprise Financial Services Corp lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the first quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 18,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,241,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $17,228,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Noesis Capital Mangement Corp boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the first quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 135,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,321,000 after acquiring an additional 3,771 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One investment 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.94.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MRK opened at $127.47 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $131.74. The company has a market capitalization of $314.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s 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 forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s 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.