Ascentis Independent Advisors Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 40.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,368 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,907 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Berger Financial Group Inc raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 8,427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.8% in the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after purchasing an additional 3,412 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 89,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,821,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $221,000. Finally, HBE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. HBE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $129.34 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.47. The stock has a market cap of $319.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter 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, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.