Saudi Central Bank Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Saudi Central Bank raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 22.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 440,465 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 81,454 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.7% of Saudi Central Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $56,332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advisory Solutions Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $209,000. Rose Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $576,000. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $350,000. NI Acquisitions Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Finally, NBH Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,316,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $150.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $123.52. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.58 and a 12 month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 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 Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.60.

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.