Primecap Management Co. CA Lowers Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Primecap Management Co. CA cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,900 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 15,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.6% during the third quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 12,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares in the last quarter. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.1% during the third quarter. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. GGM Financials LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $132,000. Finally, Jag Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $226,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.5%

MRK stock opened at $123.45 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $112.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $305.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 46.70%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% 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.