Tobam Has $1.94 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Tobam cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 18,429 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,414 shares during the period. Tobam’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th 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. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group boosted 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 note on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $115.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.