Resonant Capital Advisors LLC Has $3.77 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 129.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 31,176 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,614 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of MRK traded up $2.72 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $129.50. 2,261,287 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,086,780. The stock has a market cap of $319.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $130.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.

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.