Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Sold by Park National Corp OH

Park National Corp OH reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 120,805 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,788 shares during the quarter. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,012,530,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,210,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,462,000 after purchasing an additional 2,783,482 shares during the period. Finally, Employees Provident Fund Board bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $254,206,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of MRK stock traded down $3.91 on Monday, hitting $140.39. The stock had a trading volume of 4,466,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,683,654. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $142.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $346.37 billion, a PE ratio of 112.33, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.36.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.