Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Sells 6,000 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 75.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,000 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Prentice Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% in the second quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the second quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 65,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,187,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.4% in the second quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 39,599 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,135,000 after buying an additional 4,970 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $122.05 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $123.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $110.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.80. The company has a market cap of $302.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (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 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

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

In other news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.