L2 Asset Management LLC Purchases 8,812 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

L2 Asset Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 121.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 16,047 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,812 shares during the period. L2 Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. DLD Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,139,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,748 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,540,145,000 after acquiring an additional 5,094,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after acquiring an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

MRK opened at $115.35 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The company’s 50-day moving average is $115.42 and its 200 day moving average is $100.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.