Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Boosts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 49.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 293,491 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 96,637 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.2% of Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $35,304,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,731,000 after buying an additional 24,576 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,296,000 after acquiring an additional 32,114 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after acquiring an additional 13,940 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $1,866,000. Finally, Norris Perne & French LLP MI boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,543,000 after acquiring an additional 28,635 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. One 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.2%

NYSE:MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $117.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

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.