ProShare Advisors LLC Has $66.20 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 628,875 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 45,109 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $66,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $114.23 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $282.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $115.90 and a 200 day moving average of $109.73. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.40 and a 12 month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company 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 revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

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.