Montecito Bank & Trust Reduces Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Montecito Bank & Trust reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 16.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,736 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,593 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 11,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $115.65 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.09. The stock has a market cap of $285.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.70%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. This trade represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

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.