23,429 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Acquired by Rare Wolf Capital LLC

Rare Wolf Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 23,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,466,000. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.5% of Rare Wolf Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Growth Capital LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $593,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 66,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,889,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,210,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,462,000 after buying an additional 2,783,482 shares in the last quarter. CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $662,000. Finally, Blue Sparrow LLC DE bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $14,494,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA approved an additional indication for CAPVAXIVE, Merck’s pneumococcal vaccine, expanding its use to children and adolescents ages 2 through 17 at increased risk for pneumococcal disease. The expanded label could support longer-term sales growth and reinforces Merck’s vaccine franchise. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also announced broader corporate activity around AI drug discovery with Protillion Biosciences and a global HPV awareness campaign, which may help pipeline development and brand visibility over time but are not immediate revenue drivers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate survey from Merck Animal Health highlighted unmet needs in treating canine allergic skin disease, suggesting future product opportunity, but it is a relatively small and less immediate catalyst for the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the FDA win, MRK has still been trading lower recently, reflecting broader weakness in the shares and suggesting investors may be waiting for more evidence that new and existing products can offset slower growth in other parts of the portfolio. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $281.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. 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’s fifty day moving average is $116.12 and its 200 day moving average is $113.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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.