Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) EVP Sells 6,050 Shares

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) EVP Richard Deluca sold 6,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.38, for a total value of $788,799.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 155,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,272,395.06. The trade was a 3.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $2.14 during trading on Monday, reaching $130.72. The company had a trading volume of 5,200,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,735,965. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $135.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $322.85 billion, a PE ratio of 104.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Graney & King LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRK. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.56.

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.