Moors & Cabot Inc. Has $10.31 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 97,972 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,726 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $10,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its position 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck shareholders approved the company’s board nominees, executive pay package, and auditor ratification at its annual meeting, reinforcing governance continuity and removing a potential overhang. Merck Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor Ratification
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced participation in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which can spark investor attention if management provides updates on pipeline progress, guidance, or strategic priorities. Merck to Participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s chicken bronchitis vaccine was approved for use in China, expanding a potential animal-health opportunity in a large market and adding a modest growth catalyst. Merck chicken bronchitis vaccine approved for use in China
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck congratulated Ontario on expanding pharmacy scope rules, a policy development that is favorable for healthcare access but has no immediate direct financial impact on MRK. Merck Congratulates Ontario Government on Expanding Pharmacy Scope to Help Improve Access to Care
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck remained a heavily watched stock in Zacks coverage and on analyst/market screens, but those mentions were not tied to a new fundamental development. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s upcoming Jefferies appearance and shareholder-call materials may keep attention on the stock, but they do not yet signal a clear change in earnings outlook. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Shareholder/Analyst Call – Slideshow

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $119.87 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.40 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $116.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.41. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

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.