Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,111,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Gibbs Wealth Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 147.2% in the 1st quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management now owns 12,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,504,000 after acquiring an additional 7,447 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,102,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,892,000 after acquiring an additional 256,265 shares during the last quarter. Davis R M Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% during the first quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 24,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,950,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. GSG Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, American Investment Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.1% in the first quarter. American Investment Services Inc. now owns 66,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,997,000 after purchasing an additional 10,674 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.4%

MRK stock opened at $130.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $322.49 billion, a PE ratio of 36.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $131.74. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $121.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.62.

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. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. 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 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MRK. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. CICC Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.

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.