Cardinal Capital Management Inc. Has $32.06 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Cardinal Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 304,534 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,659 shares during the quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $32,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Payne Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 6,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 90,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This trade represents a 31.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $122.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $303.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.88, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.59.

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.