Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Decreased by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 310,665 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,779 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.25.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $130 and kept a “buy” rating, signaling meaningful upside and lending near-term buy-side conviction. UBS Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Merck
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Merck is in talks to acquire cancer biotech Revolution Medicines (FT/Reuters) have been interpreted as strategic M&A that could expand Merck’s oncology pipeline and revenue optionality. Merck in talks to buy Revolution Medicines
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades continue: Wolfe Research moved MRK from “peer perform” to “outperform” with a $135 target, reinforcing the bullish analyst momentum that supports higher valuations. Analyst upgrade coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target (to $110) but maintained a “neutral” rating — a modest tweak that offers limited directional guidance compared with the UBS/Wolfe moves. Citigroup Forecasts for Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundup and positive coverage pieces (e.g., Benzinga’s 10-analyst summary, Zacks growth-feature) are increasing attention on MRK but largely echo the same drivers: pipeline strength, strong cash flows and health-care sector tailwinds. Analysts share their views
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/public-health risk: Merck urged any U.S. childhood immunization schedule changes be science-led after the CDC trimmed some universally recommended shots — a development that could introduce uncertainty for vaccine uptake and revenue if recommendations shift. Merck urges science-led vaccine schedule

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.1%

MRK opened at $110.91 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.11 and a 200-day moving average of $88.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.91%.

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.