Victory Capital Management Inc. Buys 301,155 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,733,323 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 301,155 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $397,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $121.42 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $113.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $300.20 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on MRK. Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,362,780.08. This represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.