Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Position Boosted by Kingsview Wealth Management LLC

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 217,170 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,655 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $18,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,407,000 after acquiring an additional 13,285 shares during the last quarter. First Pacific Financial lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,168,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.5%

MRK stock opened at $123.45 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $112.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $97.49. The company has a market cap of $305.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 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 Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.