Ritholtz Wealth Management Boosts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 20.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,966 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,755 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Breakwater Capital Group boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 12,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,493,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Global Financial Private Client LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 36,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,409,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. Corundum Group Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Corundum Group Inc. now owns 10,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,263,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the period. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.8% during the first quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 48,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,887,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.9%

MRK opened at $125.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $309.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $125.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $115.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued 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 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.72.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev for adults with cisplatin-ineligible resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, expanding Merck’s oncology franchise in Europe. European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA Plus Padcev
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved Keytruda and Keytruda Qlex, each combined with Gilead’s Trodelvy, as a first-line treatment for PD-L1-positive advanced triple-negative breast cancer, adding another growth opportunity for the drug. FDA Approves Keytruda and Trodelvy for TNBC
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary has also been supportive, with CICC Research initiating coverage at outperform and a price target above the recent trading range, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Merck Coverage Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports noted that competitor Gilead won EC approval to expand Trodelvy’s label in metastatic TNBC, which is relevant to Merck because Trodelvy is part of the newly approved Keytruda combination, but the net market impact is still unclear. Gilead Wins EC Approval to Expand Trodelvy’s Label
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analyst notes were mixed, including Citi’s hold rating and Scotiabank’s buy rating, suggesting the latest move is being driven more by product news than by a major change in analyst consensus. Citi Keeps Their Hold Rating on Merck & Company

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.