Hohimer Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 60.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,710 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,585 shares during the quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. now owns 14,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% during the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 92,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,474,000 after purchasing an additional 2,545 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the third quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 1,467,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,040,000 after purchasing an additional 48,149 shares during the period. American State Bank Iowa acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $796,000. Finally, Cooper Haims Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.0% in the third quarter. Cooper Haims Advisors LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $170.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.74.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.2%
MRK stock opened at $148.49 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $85.80 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The firm has a market cap of $366.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 153.08, a P/E/G ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. The business’s 50 day moving average is $146.39 and its 200-day moving average is $127.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Key Merck & Co., Inc. News
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide, an investigational weekly treatment for adults with MASH and stage F2 or F3 liver fibrosis. The findings add a potential new opportunity in liver disease, although the supplied report does not include detailed efficacy results. Article: Merck Announces Positive Results from Phase 2b Trial of Efinopegdutide
- Positive Sentiment: Merck has started the Phase 3 ENHANCE-3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance treatment. Separately, the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer, advancing two potential growth drivers. Article: Merck Starts ENHANCE 3 COPD Trial As Cancer Drug Review Nears
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Tempus AI is expected to contribute to a five-year partnership value of roughly $192.5 million, providing a data and AI-related research tie-up; the article does not detail the financial impact to Merck. Article: The AI Debt Bill Is Coming Due, But Biotech Has Revenue to Show for the Boom
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts describe Merck’s 2027 growth outlook as challenging, citing generic competition, weaker vaccine performance and slowing growth for Keytruda. These pressures could weigh on near-term results, despite the company’s expanding pipeline. Article: MRK’s 2027 Outlook Challenging, Long-Term Prospects Promising
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 102,014 shares of company stock worth $13,608,779 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.
Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.
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