GTS Securities LLC Has $702,000 Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

GTS Securities LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 41.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,462 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,843 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after buying an additional 11,355 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,022,000 after buying an additional 320,143 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,931,000 after acquiring an additional 51,393 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,999,000 after acquiring an additional 224,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% in the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,255,000 after acquiring an additional 567,249 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

MRK stock opened at $148.30 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $131.78 and its 200-day moving average is $122.45. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a PE ratio of 118.64, a P/E/G ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.19. 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 released its quarterly 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.