WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 63.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,929 shares during the quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% in the third quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 53.6% in the third quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $116.00 and its 200 day moving average is $109.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.37 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. 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 report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

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.