Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 804,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63,102 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $96,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Catalina Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Next Level Private LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% during the first quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 20,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,468,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the first quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 22,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,688,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.9% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 9,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,189,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE MRK opened at $129.09 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $129.97. 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 stock has a market cap of $318.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The business’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. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.72.

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.