State of Wisconsin Investment Board Sells 106,714 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

State of Wisconsin Investment Board lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,294,096 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106,714 shares during the period. State of Wisconsin Investment Board owned 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $136,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Gilpin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $115.10 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $284.27 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $116.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.46.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm 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%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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.