Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Position Reduced by Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,959 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,210 shares during the period. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Verity & Verity LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 4,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $462,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 43,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,601,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares during the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $505,000. Texas Yale Capital Corp. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 57,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,085,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $219,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target 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. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $118.49 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $292.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.40 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $116.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.46. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to calderasib (MK-1084) with Keytruda in a lung cancer indication, a sign the program may move faster and expand Merck’s oncology growth prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and recent articles highlighted Merck’s newer drugs, pipeline assets, and M&A options as potential offsets to looming Keytruda patent expiration, reinforcing the bull case for long-term growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has also been drawing investor attention as a trending stock and has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, suggesting market confidence remains relatively strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which could provide an update on strategy but is not itself a major business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders backed board nominees, pay, and auditor ratification at the annual meeting, which reduces governance uncertainty but is unlikely to move the stock much. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The main longer-term concern remains Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity, which could pressure Merck’s biggest revenue driver if replacement products do not scale quickly enough. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.