Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Acquires 263,633 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 402.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 329,155 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 263,633 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $33,962,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $585,192,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,844,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821,766 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,933,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,735,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.5%

NYSE:MRK opened at $115.86 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $115.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.40 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $286.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Sichuan Kelun-Biotech said their lung cancer combination therapy met the main goal in a late-stage China trial, improving survival in patients with advanced lung cancer and adding to confidence in Merck’s Keytruda-based oncology franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported five-year data showing their skin-cancer combination therapy cut the risk of cancer spreading by 59% in a mid-stage melanoma study, reinforcing the commercial potential of Merck’s immuno-oncology pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Exelixis announced a collaboration with Merck on a late-stage colorectal cancer study, signaling continued pipeline expansion and more shots on goal in oncology. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market roundup highlighted Merck among dividend stocks to consider, but the piece was broad and did not provide company-specific catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A separate article from Zacks argued that Eli Lilly looks stronger than Merck due to Lilly’s GLP-1 momentum and pipeline, which could weigh on sentiment versus MRK’s peers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Merck Animal Health was referred to the FTC and FDA over Bravecto Quantum dosing claims after not complying with an advertising review recommendation, creating a regulatory/reputation overhang for the animal-health business. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

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.