Independence Bank of Kentucky Sells 4,030 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Independence Bank of Kentucky trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,740 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,030 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Graney & King LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.3%

MRK opened at $149.73 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.58 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $133.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.88. The company has a market cap of $369.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.78, a P/E/G ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.19.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.