Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires 54,035 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 21.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 311,279 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 54,035 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $37,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Navigation Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,235,000. Three Seasons Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% during the first quarter. Three Seasons Wealth LLC now owns 3,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Nolet Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Good Harbor Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Finally, Journey Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 23,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,734,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRK. UBS Group boosted 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $123.56 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $119.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.72. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $130.29. The stock has a market cap of $305.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released 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 return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.