5,184 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Acquired by Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC

Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 5,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $435,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.6% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 176,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,849,000 after buying an additional 22,483 shares in the last quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 297.2% during the third quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,243,000 after buying an additional 11,078 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.2% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 548,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,073,000 after buying an additional 4,568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.0% in the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 402,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,805,000 after acquiring an additional 33,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $119.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $295.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $107.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $122.66.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 45.22%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.93.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.