United Asset Strategies Inc. Has $25.31 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

United Asset Strategies Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 210,435 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,760 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 2.0% of United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $25,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after purchasing an additional 11,156,354 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the third quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $1,012,530,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $585,192,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.1%

MRK traded up $2.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $129.50. The company had a trading volume of 2,261,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,086,780. The stock has a market cap of $319.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.46, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.47. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business’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 analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.83.

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.