NBH Bank Purchases Shares of 10,243 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

NBH Bank acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,243 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,316,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $150.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $134.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.52. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

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.