One Capital Management LLC Has $16.65 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

One Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,176 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,843 shares during the quarter. One Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $16,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $209,000. COFG Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $885,000. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,483,000 after buying an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. a16z Perennial Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. a16z Perennial Management L.P. now owns 3,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 114,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,061,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $115.28 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.81. The company has a market cap of $284.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.