L & S Advisors Inc Purchases 102,592 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

L & S Advisors Inc grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 557.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 120,990 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 102,592 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.2% of L & S Advisors Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,120,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 12,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.8%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $111.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $74.37 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $116.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.21.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.