Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Invests $18.24 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 173,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,235,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.3% of Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. National Pension Service grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 5,789,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,395,000 after acquiring an additional 82,039 shares during the period. South Street Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. South Street Advisors LLC now owns 3,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares during the period. Operose Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 4,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Finally, Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $180,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck shareholders approved the company’s board nominees, executive pay package, and auditor ratification at its annual meeting, reinforcing governance continuity and removing a potential overhang. Merck Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor Ratification
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced participation in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which can spark investor attention if management provides updates on pipeline progress, guidance, or strategic priorities. Merck to Participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s chicken bronchitis vaccine was approved for use in China, expanding a potential animal-health opportunity in a large market and adding a modest growth catalyst. Merck chicken bronchitis vaccine approved for use in China
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck congratulated Ontario on expanding pharmacy scope rules, a policy development that is favorable for healthcare access but has no immediate direct financial impact on MRK. Merck Congratulates Ontario Government on Expanding Pharmacy Scope to Help Improve Access to Care
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck remained a heavily watched stock in Zacks coverage and on analyst/market screens, but those mentions were not tied to a new fundamental development. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s upcoming Jefferies appearance and shareholder-call materials may keep attention on the stock, but they do not yet signal a clear change in earnings outlook. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Shareholder/Analyst Call – Slideshow

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $119.87 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $116.31 and a 200 day moving average of $111.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.40 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.