JT Stratford LLC Has $1.09 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

JT Stratford LLC cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 26.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,014 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,601 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,092,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Arrowroot Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $215,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.1% in the 2nd quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 1,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. Finally, Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 18,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 994 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.6%

NYSE MRK opened at $116.01 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.29. The company has a market capitalization of $286.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during 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%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.88.

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.