Hantz Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 42.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 70,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,357 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,423,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:MRK opened at $122.55 on Tuesday. 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 one year low of $75.40 and a one year high of $125.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.68. The stock has a market cap of $302.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.18.

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

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.