MOR Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

MOR Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 5,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $660,000.

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

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $150.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a PE ratio of 120.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $134.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.52. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 22nd. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.