Fifth Third Bancorp Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 162.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,543,397 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 954,428 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $185,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Banyan Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Banyan Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $740,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Glass Wealth Management Co LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the first quarter. Glass Wealth Management Co LLC now owns 28,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,447,000 after purchasing an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. TSA Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $231,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 44,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,324,000 after purchasing an additional 2,528 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 1,322,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,102,000 after purchasing an additional 46,967 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.72. The stock had a trading volume of 8,388,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,797,806. The company has a market cap of $305.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $118.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, each combined with Padcev, for use before and after surgery in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This expands Merck’s flagship oncology franchise and could add to future revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley slightly raising its price target and RBC Capital reiterating a Buy rating. That suggests Wall Street still sees upside despite the stock’s recent run. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck continues to attract investor attention thanks to strong year-to-date performance, a solid dividend yield, and a long record of dividend growth, which may support demand for the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes Merck is one of the more widely watched healthcare names on Zacks, but these mentions do not appear to add any new fundamental catalyst on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat news flow, the shares also face ongoing valuation and post-KEYTRUDA exclusivity concerns, which may limit upside if investors focus on Merck’s long-term patent risk. Article Title

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.