Worthington Financial Partners LLC Buys New Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Worthington Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 5,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRK. UBS Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1%

MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $115.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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.