Clear Trail Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Clear Trail Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 70,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,971 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.4% of Clear Trail Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Clear Trail Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 23,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,819,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $115.47 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $285.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $115.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.