143,224 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Purchased by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 143,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,228,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after purchasing an additional 5,152,069 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $127.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $119.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $130.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business 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 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued 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 is currently 95.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of Lipfendra creates a new commercial growth driver and strengthens Merck’s long-term pipeline diversification. Merck’s cholesterol pill gets US FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Lipfendra is the first and only once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor approved by the FDA, which could give Merck a first-mover advantage in a large cholesterol market. Merck’s LIPFENDRA approval release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are lifting price targets and fair value estimates, reflecting improved sentiment around Merck’s pipeline and earnings outlook. Merck Snags A First-Of-Its-Kind Approval, And Shares Jump
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also reported additional positive clinical and regulatory updates for Keytruda and its HIV pipeline, which support the broader investment case but are less immediate than the Lipfendra approval. Merck’s HIV Pipeline Nears Key Inflection Point

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.94.

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.