Retirement Stock Portfolio: 5 Low Risk Investments

4. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 78

Dividend Yield as of 12/10: 2.82%

Beta Value: 0.38

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a renowned American multinational pharmaceutical company with its headquarters situated in Rahway, New Jersey. Originally the American arm of the Merck Group, founded in Germany in 1668, it carries the name of its former parent company. Operating as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, the company holds a prominent position in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in the development of medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) announced promising outcomes from a Phase 3 clinical trial of its anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda, in collaboration with Seagen Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN)’s antibody-drug conjugate Padcev, on September 22. The combined therapy exhibited favorable results for patients undergoing treatment for bladder cancer.

Insider Monkey dug through 910 hedge funds for their second quarter of 2023 investments to discover that 78 had invested in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), up from 75 in the previous quarter. Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management is the biggest shareholder, owning a $331.8 million stake.

Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund made the following comment about Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in its Q2 2023 investor letter:

“Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) presented positive clinical data for a new drug in its oncology pipeline, announced an acquisition that was viewed favorably by investors, and reported strong first-quarter financial results while also increasing its earnings guidance for 2023.”