Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Montecito Bank & Trust

Montecito Bank & Trust decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 16.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,736 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,593 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp now owns 16,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,736,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 44,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,706,000 after purchasing an additional 3,726 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 65,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,865,000 after purchasing an additional 3,155 shares during the period. Finally, Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $503,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,023,261.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% 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. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on MRK shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.3%

MRK stock opened at $115.65 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $285.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27. The business’s 50-day moving average is $115.94 and its 200 day moving average is $101.09.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

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.