Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 747,581 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,307 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $62,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $285,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 617.0% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the period. Integrity Alliance LLC. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 369.8% in the 1st quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 25,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,260,000 after purchasing an additional 19,818 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 14,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $110.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $99.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $112.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $113.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reported takeover talks to buy cancer drug developer Revolution Medicines add potential strategic upside to Merck’s oncology pipeline and could be seen as an accretive deal if completed. Merck in talks to buy biotech Revolution Medicines, FT reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst moves lifted sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded MRK to outperform with a $135 target and UBS raised its target to $130 (buy), signaling meaningful upside in Street expectations. (Benzinga coverage) Analyst upgrades and price target changes
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a Phase 3 trial (KANDLELIT-007) for calderasib (MK-1084) combined with KEYTRUDA in KRAS G12C NSCLC — a meaningful clinical advance that supports long-term oncology revenue potential. Merck Initiates Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck moved to complete its acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, expanding its infectious-disease pipeline and near-term product/technology set. Merck to Complete Acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck urged that U.S. changes to the childhood immunization schedule be science-led after the CDC trimmed some universal recommendations—this underscores policy risk/uncertainty in vaccines but also Merck’s push for data-driven decisions. Merck urges science-led US vaccine schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare sector strength and ETF inflows (Vanguard VHT) are supporting Merck as investors favor undervalued, defensive health names—this macro tailwind helps explain buying interest. Health care sector rally / VHT
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and TV mentions (e.g., Jim Cramer) and recent positive Zacks commentary add retail attention but are informational rather than catalytic. Cramer’s Stop Trading: Merck

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.