Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) EVP Sells 18,706 Shares

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $128.61. The stock had a trading volume of 6,425,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,766,726. 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. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $135.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.89, a PEG ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.19. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $123.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.04.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.56.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.