Oak Grove Capital LLC Sells 8,555 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Oak Grove Capital LLC decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 82,260 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,555 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.0% of Oak Grove Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Oak Grove Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. 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 $76.66 and a 12 month high of $125.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $115.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.60. The company has a market cap of $281.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

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.