Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Trims Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 442,799 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,840 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 3.5% of Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $56,900,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $148.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $131.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $365.88 billion, a PE ratio of 118.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 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, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.60.

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.