Lawood & Co. Acquires Shares of 24,458 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Lawood & Co. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 24,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,574,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 2.4% of Lawood & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 160.5% in the third quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 53.6% in the third quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $111.36 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.37 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.03 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Guggenheim raised 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.18.

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.