Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 585,422 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,439 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.8% of Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $70,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $129.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.47. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29.

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, 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 firm 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 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. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.83.

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.