Guardian Capital LLC Buys New Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Guardian Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 4,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% during the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.21. The firm has a market cap of $275.03 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.37 and a twelve month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. 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. 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.