Ritholtz Wealth Management Acquires 7,755 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 20.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,966 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,755 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 23,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,819,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $125.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $309.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company’s 50-day moving average is $115.88 and its 200 day moving average is $114.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $125.96.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 95.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev for adults with cisplatin-ineligible resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, expanding Merck’s oncology franchise in Europe. European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA Plus Padcev
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved Keytruda and Keytruda Qlex, each combined with Gilead’s Trodelvy, as a first-line treatment for PD-L1-positive advanced triple-negative breast cancer, adding another growth opportunity for the drug. FDA Approves Keytruda and Trodelvy for TNBC
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary has also been supportive, with CICC Research initiating coverage at outperform and a price target above the recent trading range, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Merck Coverage Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports noted that competitor Gilead won EC approval to expand Trodelvy’s label in metastatic TNBC, which is relevant to Merck because Trodelvy is part of the newly approved Keytruda combination, but the net market impact is still unclear. Gilead Wins EC Approval to Expand Trodelvy’s Label
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analyst notes were mixed, including Citi’s hold rating and Scotiabank’s buy rating, suggesting the latest move is being driven more by product news than by a major change in analyst consensus. Citi Keeps Their Hold Rating on Merck & Company

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.72.

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.