Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 422,266 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Van ECK Associates Corp lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 23.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,370,439 shares of the company’s stock after selling 422,266 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $176,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $142.00 to $150.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of MRK opened at $148.30 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.41. The company has a market cap of $365.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.64, a P/E/G ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

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.