Geode Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 249,110 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.42% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $6,307,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of MRK opened at $120.27 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $116.23 and its 200 day moving average is $111.17. The company has a market capitalization of $297.04 billion, a PE ratio of 33.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14. 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) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business 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 company posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 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.