Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,193,915 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 22,103 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 2.3% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $125,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $114.23 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $282.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.18. The company’s 50 day moving average is $115.90 and its 200 day moving average is $109.73. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.40 and a 12-month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS 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.