Keudell Morrison Wealth Management Invests $1.33 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,332,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $115.86 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.40 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.15 billion, a PE ratio of 32.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Sichuan Kelun-Biotech said their lung cancer combination therapy met the main goal in a late-stage China trial, improving survival in patients with advanced lung cancer and adding to confidence in Merck’s Keytruda-based oncology franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported five-year data showing their skin-cancer combination therapy cut the risk of cancer spreading by 59% in a mid-stage melanoma study, reinforcing the commercial potential of Merck’s immuno-oncology pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Exelixis announced a collaboration with Merck on a late-stage colorectal cancer study, signaling continued pipeline expansion and more shots on goal in oncology. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market roundup highlighted Merck among dividend stocks to consider, but the piece was broad and did not provide company-specific catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A separate article from Zacks argued that Eli Lilly looks stronger than Merck due to Lilly’s GLP-1 momentum and pipeline, which could weigh on sentiment versus MRK’s peers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Merck Animal Health was referred to the FTC and FDA over Bravecto Quantum dosing claims after not complying with an advertising review recommendation, creating a regulatory/reputation overhang for the animal-health business. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MRK. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Finally, 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 report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

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.