Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Purchases Shares of 7,473 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 7,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $960,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in 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. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $136.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $335.76 billion, a PE ratio of 108.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.58 and a 52-week high of $137.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $125.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were 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 directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.