Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Sold by BDF Gestion

BDF Gestion cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,673 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,778 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.7% of BDF Gestion’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. BDF Gestion’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,474,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Graney & King LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $144.62. The stock had a trading volume of 3,167,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,607,502. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.31. The company has a market cap of $356.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.75, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share 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 16.73%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.