Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Has $433,000 Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 60.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,117 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,364 shares during the quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,787,865.12. The trade was a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $115.65 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $115.94 and its 200-day moving average is $101.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. 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 research note on Wednesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.