Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Cut by LOM Asset Management Ltd

LOM Asset Management Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,213 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,187 shares during the period. LOM Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $521,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $116.01 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $114.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRK. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.88.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.