Edgar Lomax Co. VA Has $47.02 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Edgar Lomax Co. VA reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 22.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 560,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 164,405 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 3.7% of Edgar Lomax Co. VA’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Edgar Lomax Co. VA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $47,018,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smith Moore & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the third quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 23,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 255,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,394 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 63.1% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 6,083 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 2,354 shares in the last quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 65.7% in the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 2,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $85,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total value of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $116.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $114.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. 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 year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th 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 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

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.