Gateway Wealth Partners LLC Buys 12,159 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Gateway Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 271.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,631 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,159 shares during the quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,001,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $131.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $122.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.66 and a 52-week high of $135.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $325.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 0.19.

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, beating 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported that KEYTRUDA met the primary progression-free-survival endpoint in the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-C93 trial for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The result represents a statistically significant benefit over platinum chemotherapy and could support future regulatory filings, strengthening the company’s oncology pipeline. Merck Says KEYTRUDA Beat Chemotherapy in Phase 3 Endometrial Cancer Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its growth opportunities beyond KEYTRUDA. A royalty-free licensing agreement will enable generic HIV-prevention treatment supply across 129 low- and middle-income countries, while U.S. approval of LIPFENDRA, described as the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor for LDL reduction, broadens its cardiovascular portfolio. Merck Expands HIV PrEP Access and Launches Oral Cholesterol Drug
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained its Buy rating on MRK, signaling continued confidence in the company’s outlook despite near-term earnings pressure. Wells Fargo Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage firms collectively assigned Merck an average “Moderate Buy” rating, indicating constructive sentiment but not a unanimous expectation of strong upside. Merck Given Average Moderate Buy Rating by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect Merck’s upcoming second-quarter earnings to decline, and previews indicate the company may lack the earnings and revenue momentum typically associated with a likely consensus beat. This could limit near-term gains ahead of the report. Merck Q2 Earnings Expected to Decline

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.