Twin Capital Management Inc. Sells 16,945 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Twin Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 29.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 39,931 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,945 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.6% of Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,731,000 after acquiring an additional 24,576 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,296,000 after acquiring an additional 32,114 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,364,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $1,866,000. Finally, Norris Perne & French LLP MI lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,543,000 after purchasing an additional 28,635 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $123.56 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $305.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth 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’s 50-day moving average price is $119.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.