Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 10.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 487,434 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,296 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.7% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $58,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its holdings in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Bank of America raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. 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, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.3%

MRK stock opened at $123.56 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $305.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.