Stephens Inc. AR Grows Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 342,140 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,257 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $36,218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $111.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $116.00 and its 200 day moving average is $109.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.37 and a 12 month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for 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%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

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.