Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Has $433,000 Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 60.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,117 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,364 shares during the quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. DLD Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $2,858,570,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,540,145,000 after purchasing an additional 5,094,088 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 192.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,496,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $461,335,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618,532 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 16,532,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,363,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,941 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of MRK opened at $115.65 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $115.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.09. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a market capitalization of $285.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at $3,759,460.58. This trade represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.