KCM Capital Inc Purchases Shares of 33,000 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

KCM Capital Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 33,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,970,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.6% of KCM Capital Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $127.61 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $131.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $120.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.45.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

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.