Westpac Banking Corp Lowers Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Westpac Banking Corp decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 52.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 58,082 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63,983 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MRK opened at $115.89 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. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.43 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck said the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for calderasib in combination with Keytruda for certain newly diagnosed metastatic KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients, which may speed development and improve the drug’s commercial outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck presented five-year data for their melanoma combination therapy, showing a 49% reduction in recurrence or death risk versus Keytruda alone, reinforcing confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and Keytruda’s franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted possible new EU approval momentum for Keytruda, which would expand the drug’s reach outside the U.S. and support future revenue growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck announced a quarterly dividend, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile and signaling financial stability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is also strengthening its capital structure with a notes offering, which may improve liquidity and financial flexibility. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will participate in the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference, a routine investor event that could provide updates but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer noting that Merck’s cancer dominance has been challenged by J&J is more of a competitive observation than a direct catalyst, but it underscores pressure in oncology. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reported Merck is discussing whether its COVID antiviral molnupiravir could be used in the Ebola response; this is potentially meaningful, but still exploratory. Article Title

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.