Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Has $3.01 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 17.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,799 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,691 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.2% of Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 24,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,095,000 after buying an additional 1,371 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 21,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,821,000 after buying an additional 1,444 shares during the last quarter. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,311,000. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the third quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 2,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wolfe Research upgraded 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 report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.81.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:MRK opened at $115.84 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $115.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $286.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.27.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

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.