KBC Group NV Has $146.47 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

KBC Group NV lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,217,611 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60,520 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $146,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Next Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $209,000. Little House Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 87.1% during the first quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 25,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,064,000 after acquiring an additional 11,861 shares during the period. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $197,550,000. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 7,284,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,211,000 after purchasing an additional 440,700 shares during the period. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 10,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,239,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $127.47 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 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 $131.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.01. The company has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.94.

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.