Compass Capital Management Inc. Sells 22,669 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Compass Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 567,099 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,669 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 4.4% of Compass Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Compass Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $72,872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 8,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.4% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 53,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,845,000 after buying an additional 9,009 shares in the last quarter. Baxter Bros Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Baxter Bros Inc. now owns 10,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 824 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Effects LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 10,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 17,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,271,000 after acquiring an additional 4,570 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Positive topline INTerpath-001 results strengthened expectations that the vaccine could extend KEYTRUDA’s growth runway and create a potentially important new oncology franchise. Merck Surges on a Melanoma Win
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their valuation expectations: Wolfe Research increased its price target to $180 and assigned an “outperform” rating, while Argus raised its target to $170 and reiterated a “buy” rating. Wolfe Research Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also anticipating a concentrated series of regulatory decisions and clinical readouts this fall, which could produce additional upside if Merck’s pipeline delivers. What Would It Take to Get MRK Stock to $200?
• Neutral Sentiment: The cancer-vaccine opportunity remains early. The available evidence is limited, and potential barriers include manufacturing complexity, cost, patient selection, and the need for regulatory review and broader clinical validation. How the Merck/Moderna Cancer Vaccine Works
• Negative Sentiment: After the recent rally, MRK is trading near or above several analysts’ prior targets, leaving less room for disappointment and making future gains increasingly dependent on successful trial results, FDA decisions, and evidence that the post-KEYTRUDA growth strategy can scale.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.9%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $156.54 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $129.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $386.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 125.23, a PEG ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.