Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Grows Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 37.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,038,236 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 285,599 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 2.9% of Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $133,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $136.09 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.58 and a 1 year high of $137.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $335.76 billion, a PE ratio of 108.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a fifty day moving average of $125.88 and a 200 day moving average of $120.23.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.50.

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.