Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 55.3% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,327 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,075 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $948,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. World Equity Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.9% in the 2nd quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 14,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,811,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% during the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 10,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,395,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $159,000. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.0% in the second quarter. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. now owns 20,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,571,000 after acquiring an additional 2,306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.9% in the second quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.56.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $130.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $322.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company’s 50-day moving average is $124.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $135.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 6,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.38, for a total value of $788,799.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 155,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,272,395.06. This trade represents a 3.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 92,603 shares of company stock worth $11,966,744 in the last three months. Company 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.