Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock: Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC Raises Position

Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 80.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,802 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,479 shares during the period. Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Graney & King LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $150.19 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $146.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.26. 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. has a fifty-two week low of $82.91 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $370.55 billion, a PE ratio of 154.84, a P/E/G ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’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 owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 135,635 shares of company stock valued at $18,011,040 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s broad advance provided a supportive backdrop for stocks, including healthcare shares; this looks like a market-wide tailwind rather than a Merck-specific catalyst. Stocks Surged Across the Board Today, and Biotech Brought Its Own Earnings Story
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Merck, while Freedom Broker reportedly forecast further appreciation, signaling supportive analyst sentiment. Cantor Fitzgerald Price Target Bump Freedom Broker Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted emergency-use authorization for a Merck treatment for screwworm in dogs, offering a potential near-term opportunity in animal health. Merck gets US FDA emergency use nod for treatment of screwworm in dogs
• Positive Sentiment: Merck began enrolling patients in a Phase 3 study of Ohtuvayre to assess whether it can prevent COPD exacerbations. The trial expands the drug’s potential, though results are not yet available. Merck Initiates Phase 3 Study of Ohtuvayre
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s pipeline is cited as a possible growth driver, but the company’s looming patent cliff remains a significant longer-term risk to growth. Merck’s Pipeline Could Be Its Next Big Growth Driver
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank cut its rating from Buy to Hold, setting a $153 price target that suggests limited upside from the price cited in the report. DZ Bank rating update

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.74.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.