Kestra Advisory Services LLC Has $40.66 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 15.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 338,012 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,974 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $40,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Money Concepts Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.5% during the 1st quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 18,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,254,000 after purchasing an additional 4,382 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $190,000. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the first quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after buying an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $295,000. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% during the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 37,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,492,000 after buying an additional 2,186 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, each combined with Padcev, for use before and after surgery in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This expands Merck’s flagship oncology franchise and could add to future revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley slightly raising its price target and RBC Capital reiterating a Buy rating. That suggests Wall Street still sees upside despite the stock’s recent run. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck continues to attract investor attention thanks to strong year-to-date performance, a solid dividend yield, and a long record of dividend growth, which may support demand for the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes Merck is one of the more widely watched healthcare names on Zacks, but these mentions do not appear to add any new fundamental catalyst on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat news flow, the shares also face ongoing valuation and post-KEYTRUDA exclusivity concerns, which may limit upside if investors focus on Merck’s long-term patent risk. Article Title

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE MRK traded down $1.35 on Friday, hitting $123.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,388,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,797,806. 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 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $130.29. The company’s 50-day moving average is $118.83 and its 200 day moving average is $116.28. The firm has a market cap of $305.56 billion, a PE ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.19.

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. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.72.

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.