GTS Securities LLC Cuts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

GTS Securities LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 41.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,462 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,843 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $702,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,590,000 after acquiring an additional 15,636 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,054,000 after acquiring an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,918,000 after acquiring an additional 359,356 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

MRK stock opened at $148.30 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a PE ratio of 118.64, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.45.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.60.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.