Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd Takes $21.62 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 205,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,617,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.1% of Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $3,997,933,000. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $585,192,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 985.4% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,969,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,826,000 after purchasing an additional 3,603,769 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $115.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $284.27 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $116.32 and its 200-day moving average is $113.46.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 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 Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

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.