8,663 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Factory Mutual Insurance Co.

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. trimmed its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 271,361 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,663 shares during the period. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $39,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 263.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,702,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,334,000 after buying an additional 1,959,778 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $260,560,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.6%

NYSE:MRK opened at $144.50 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $146.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $356.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 148.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 156,685 shares of company stock valued at $20,764,839 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck began a Phase 3 trial of Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) to assess whether it can prevent COPD exacerbations in higher-risk adults. A successful study could support the drug’s growth potential and broaden Merck’s pipeline. Merck initiates Phase 3 Ohtuvayre study
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA granted emergency-use authorization for a Merck treatment against screwworm in dogs, providing a near-term product opportunity. Reuters report on FDA authorization
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s pipeline is being viewed as a potential future growth driver, and its CEO has targeted $70 billion in revenue in the mid-2030s. However, the outlook depends on development and launch execution. Article on Merck’s pipeline and growth outlook
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank downgraded MRK from Buy to Hold, despite setting a $153 price target. The move adds to caution around the stock; commentary also points to the looming patent cliff as a key longer-term risk. DZ Bank rating change

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. DZ Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.