Stephens Inc. AR Has $36.22 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 342,140 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 27,257 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $36,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% in the third quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $116.00 and a 200-day moving average of $109.21. The company has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $74.37 and a one year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.