ABN Amro Investment Solutions Increases Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 35.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 256,834 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,420 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $27,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $113.01 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.92. 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 has a market cap of $279.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

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.