National Pension Service Purchases 82,039 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,789,424 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 82,039 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $609,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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 valued at $906,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck shareholders approved the company’s board nominees, executive pay package, and auditor ratification at its annual meeting, reinforcing governance continuity and removing a potential overhang. Merck Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor Ratification
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced participation in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, which can spark investor attention if management provides updates on pipeline progress, guidance, or strategic priorities. Merck to Participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s chicken bronchitis vaccine was approved for use in China, expanding a potential animal-health opportunity in a large market and adding a modest growth catalyst. Merck chicken bronchitis vaccine approved for use in China
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck congratulated Ontario on expanding pharmacy scope rules, a policy development that is favorable for healthcare access but has no immediate direct financial impact on MRK. Merck Congratulates Ontario Government on Expanding Pharmacy Scope to Help Improve Access to Care
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck remained a heavily watched stock in Zacks coverage and on analyst/market screens, but those mentions were not tied to a new fundamental development. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s upcoming Jefferies appearance and shareholder-call materials may keep attention on the stock, but they do not yet signal a clear change in earnings outlook. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Shareholder/Analyst Call – Slideshow

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $119.87 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $116.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.40 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $296.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.