Weaver Capital Management LLC Sells 4,833 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Weaver Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,222 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,833 shares during the period. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sutton Place Investors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Sutton Place Investors LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $637,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the period. Jackson Square Capital LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $1,021,000. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 462.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC now owns 142,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,004,000 after purchasing an additional 117,213 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 170,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,189 shares during the period. Finally, BIP Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 5,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $123.25 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $118.54 and a 200-day moving average of $104.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $304.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.