Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 885,756 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,351,397 shares of the company’s stock after selling 885,756 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.7% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $458,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.9% during the 4th quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,000. Phillip James Consulting Co. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 19,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,124,000 after buying an additional 1,604 shares during the period. Finally, Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA approved an additional indication for CAPVAXIVE, Merck’s pneumococcal vaccine, expanding its use to children and adolescents ages 2 through 17 at increased risk for pneumococcal disease. The expanded label could support longer-term sales growth and reinforces Merck’s vaccine franchise. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also announced broader corporate activity around AI drug discovery with Protillion Biosciences and a global HPV awareness campaign, which may help pipeline development and brand visibility over time but are not immediate revenue drivers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate survey from Merck Animal Health highlighted unmet needs in treating canine allergic skin disease, suggesting future product opportunity, but it is a relatively small and less immediate catalyst for the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the FDA win, MRK has still been trading lower recently, reflecting broader weakness in the shares and suggesting investors may be waiting for more evidence that new and existing products can offset slower growth in other parts of the portfolio. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $114.04 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $116.12 and a 200-day moving average of $113.60. The stock has a market cap of $281.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.21.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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.