12,878 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Purchased by Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC

Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 12,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,549,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of Lipfendra creates a new commercial growth driver and strengthens Merck’s long-term pipeline diversification. Merck’s cholesterol pill gets US FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Lipfendra is the first and only once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor approved by the FDA, which could give Merck a first-mover advantage in a large cholesterol market. Merck’s LIPFENDRA approval release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are lifting price targets and fair value estimates, reflecting improved sentiment around Merck’s pipeline and earnings outlook. Merck Snags A First-Of-Its-Kind Approval, And Shares Jump
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also reported additional positive clinical and regulatory updates for Keytruda and its HIV pipeline, which support the broader investment case but are less immediate than the Lipfendra approval. Merck’s HIV Pipeline Nears Key Inflection Point

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $127.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.96, a PEG ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $119.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.86. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $130.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.