Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 29.7% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 95,016 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,752 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.7% of Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,737,504,000 after buying an additional 1,859,990 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in 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 valued at $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after acquiring an additional 249,110 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,946,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,731,018,000 after acquiring an additional 359,486 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $127.67 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $119.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.86. The company has a market capitalization of $315.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.26 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given 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 yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of Lipfendra creates a new commercial growth driver and strengthens Merck’s long-term pipeline diversification. Merck’s cholesterol pill gets US FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Lipfendra is the first and only once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor approved by the FDA, which could give Merck a first-mover advantage in a large cholesterol market. Merck’s LIPFENDRA approval release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are lifting price targets and fair value estimates, reflecting improved sentiment around Merck’s pipeline and earnings outlook. Merck Snags A First-Of-Its-Kind Approval, And Shares Jump
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also reported additional positive clinical and regulatory updates for Keytruda and its HIV pipeline, which support the broader investment case but are less immediate than the Lipfendra approval. Merck’s HIV Pipeline Nears Key Inflection Point

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.94.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.