Gabelli Funds LLC Has $34.70 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 288,480 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,585 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $34,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.5% in the first quarter. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.7% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 93,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 30,627 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,791,000 after purchasing an additional 4,968 shares during the period. Keebeck Wealth Management boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 31,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,765,000 after purchasing an additional 4,697 shares during the period. Finally, Orleans Capital Management Corp LA acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $418,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

MRK stock opened at $131.06 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $131.74. The company has a market cap of $323.68 billion, a PE ratio of 36.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.19. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.71. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The business’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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced initial access plans for alimatravir, its investigational once-monthly oral HIV PrEP in Phase 3 development, and said it has signed voluntary licensing agreements covering 129 countries. That broad access strategy could support adoption in large international markets if the drug is approved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck also issued a company release on the same alimatravir access plan, reinforcing that the program is moving forward and that it is trying to expand availability in regions that account for most new HIV diagnoses globally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders also bought a high volume of Merck call options, which may reflect rising bullish speculation around the stock and the HIV pipeline, but it does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Par Health launched the first generic version of Janumet XR in the U.S., which may pressure Merck’s diabetes-related sales and adds another competitive headwind for an established product. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. CICC Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.

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.