Andra AP fonden Sells 63,615 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Andra AP fonden lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 364,485 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63,615 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.5% of Andra AP fonden’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $43,844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 333.4% in the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $438,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares in the last quarter. Stone Loft Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $330,000. Glenview Trust Co raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the first quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 376,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,336,000 after purchasing an additional 9,616 shares in the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.6% during the first quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 248.5% during the first quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,495,000 after purchasing an additional 20,715 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $124.41 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $120.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.14. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $131.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $307.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

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.