Leuthold Group LLC Invests $5.19 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 49,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,189,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,120,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 12,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective 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. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $275.03 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.37 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.