Oakmont Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Oakmont Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 24,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,098,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 2.2% of Oakmont Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP increased its stake 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 worth $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 11,355 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $11,470,000. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,022,000 after acquiring an additional 320,143 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,931,000 after purchasing an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,999,000 after purchasing an additional 224,752 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $150.37 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.58 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company 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 of $134.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for 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%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $179.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.