Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan Boosts Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 336,267 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,635 shares during the quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $43,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Cascade Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 9,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,234,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $148.30 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.58 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a PE ratio of 118.64, a PEG ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis 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 is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.60.

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.