1,793,130 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Bought by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,793,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,560,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,334,000 after buying an additional 1,959,778 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $197,550,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

MRK opened at $149.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.01 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.