Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 89,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,470,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE MRK opened at $148.30 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $131.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.45. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $77.58 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.64, a P/E/G ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.60.

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.