Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,843,042 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 224,752 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.6% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $193,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of 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 last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $112.63 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.40 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $115.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.54. The firm has a market cap of $278.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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.