WCG Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

WCG Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 62.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,260 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,980 shares during the quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $120.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $296.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.87, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. The business has a 50 day moving average of $116.52 and a 200 day moving average of $112.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th 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 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

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.