Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Increases Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 233,441 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,631 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.9% of Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% during the third quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 53.6% during the third quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 450 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $111.36 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.37 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue 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. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.