Pincus Capital Management LP Invests $4.51 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Pincus Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 42,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,506,000. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 3.0% of Pincus Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.9%

NYSE MRK opened at $115.28 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $116.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.81. 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 fifty-two week low of $75.40 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.72 billion, a PE ratio of 32.47, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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.