Bleakley Financial Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 76.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 126,287 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 54,840 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Intrua Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $906,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Payne Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,120,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $122.55 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.68. The stock has a market cap of $302.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.52, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.40 and a 12 month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold 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 $128.18.

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.