Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC Invests $882,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $882,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 11,355 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $11,470,000. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,022,000 after purchasing an additional 320,143 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,931,000 after buying an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,999,000 after buying an additional 224,752 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $150.37 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.30, a PEG ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.