Leuthold Group LLC Buys 4,550 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Leuthold Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,353 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,550 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,607,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,959,778 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at about $260,560,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 102,014 shares of company stock valued at $13,608,779. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $148.49 on Tuesday. 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. has a 12-month low of $85.80 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 153.08, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.82.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for efinopegdutide, an investigational weekly treatment for adults with MASH and stage F2 or F3 liver fibrosis. The findings add a potential new opportunity in liver disease, although the supplied report does not include detailed efficacy results. Article: Merck Announces Positive Results from Phase 2b Trial of Efinopegdutide
• Positive Sentiment: Merck has started the Phase 3 ENHANCE-3 trial of OHTUVAYRE for COPD maintenance treatment. Separately, the FDA granted priority review to sacituzumab tirumotecan for endometrial cancer, advancing two potential growth drivers. Article: Merck Starts ENHANCE 3 COPD Trial As Cancer Drug Review Nears
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s collaboration with Tempus AI is expected to contribute to a five-year partnership value of roughly $192.5 million, providing a data and AI-related research tie-up; the article does not detail the financial impact to Merck. Article: The AI Debt Bill Is Coming Due, But Biotech Has Revenue to Show for the Boom
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts describe Merck’s 2027 growth outlook as challenging, citing generic competition, weaker vaccine performance and slowing growth for Keytruda. These pressures could weigh on near-term results, despite the company’s expanding pipeline. Article: MRK’s 2027 Outlook Challenging, Long-Term Prospects Promising

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.

Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.