Three Seasons Wealth LLC Raises Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Three Seasons Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 295.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,046 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,241 shares during the quarter. Three Seasons Wealth LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $150.37 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $134.64 and its 200 day moving average is $123.52. The company has a market cap of $370.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 120.30, a PEG ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 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, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $142.00 to $150.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.