Handelsbanken Fonder AB Boosts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,959,794 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 95,489 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.7% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $251,834,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 6,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.38, for a total value of $788,799.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 155,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,272,395.06. This represents a 3.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 92,603 shares of company stock worth $11,966,744. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.7%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $130.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $124.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.33. The company has a market capitalization of $322.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $135.05. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 Wednesday, July 8th. Scotiabank increased their target price 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. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.56.

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.