Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 6,968 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 46.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,977 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,968 shares during the period. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.8% during the first quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 8,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC now owns 3,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,333,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,381,000 after purchasing an additional 327,035 shares during the period. Jessup Wealth Management Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 62,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,572,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the period. Finally, Family Manage LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 778.2% during the 1st quarter. Family Manage LLC now owns 35,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,270,000 after purchasing an additional 31,453 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK opened at $130.86 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $122.03 and a 200 day moving average of $117.94. The company has a market cap of $323.20 billion, a PE ratio of 36.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $132.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

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, 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 analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

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.