Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC Grows Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 108.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 116,727 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 60,846 shares during the quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $129.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $319.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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.