VCI Wealth Management LLC Increases Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

VCI Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 19.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,535 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.0% of VCI Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. VCI Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. DLD Asset Management LP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,012,530,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $585,192,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $128.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $116.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $128.78.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced FDA approval for Keytruda and Keytruda Qlex, each combined with Gilead’s Trodelvy, as a first-line treatment for PD-L1+ advanced triple-negative breast cancer, expanding a major revenue-driving franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also won EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev in resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients who cannot receive cisplatin chemotherapy, another label expansion that could support future sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Gilead continues to generate attention after positive HIV trial results, helping reinforce confidence in the company’s research pipeline and strategic partnerships. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck was highlighted in CNBC’s “Final Trades,” which reflects ongoing market attention but does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that MRK is a trending stock, suggesting elevated investor interest rather than a specific new operating development. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.