Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Reduced by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,845,587 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,073 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $222,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK stock opened at $130.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $323.20 billion, a PE ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $132.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.94.

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.