Sapient Capital LLC Invests $1.07 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 10,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,073,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,098,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. United Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 64.8% during the fourth quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 5,913 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leuthold Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,189,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1%

MRK stock opened at $112.63 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.40 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.