Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 90,883 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,987,037 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 90,883 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.7% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $383,834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,012,530,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 985.4% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,969,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,826,000 after acquiring an additional 3,603,769 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $148.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $365.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 118.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $131.78 and its 200-day moving average is $122.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.60.

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.