Old Mission Investment Co LLC Purchases Shares of 10,342 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Old Mission Investment Co LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,338,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $150.37 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 120.30, a P/E/G ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $134.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $123.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Fifteen equities research 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.60.

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.