Twin Capital Management Inc. Purchases 4,783 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,876 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,783 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.7% of Twin Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $113.01 on Thursday. 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. has a 12 month low of $75.40 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.92. The stock has a market cap of $279.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

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.