Raleigh Capital Management Inc. Purchases 6,065 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 112.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,466 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,065 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction 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 owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.59.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%

MRK opened at $120.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $117.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.67. The company has a market capitalization of $298.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.70%.

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.