Assetmark Inc. Buys 57,422 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 32.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 232,295 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 57,422 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $27,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $127.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $314.83 billion, a PE ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $131.74. 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 stock’s fifty 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 earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $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. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Scotiabank upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.