Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Barr E S & Co.

Barr E S & Co. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 135.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,586 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,523 shares during the quarter. Barr E S & Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 11,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,946 shares during the period. Millennium Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $458,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 233,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,572,000 after purchasing an additional 35,631 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 421,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,412,000 after purchasing an additional 15,560 shares during the period. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 4,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $74.37 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.