Principal Financial Group Boosts Stake in Merck & Co.

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by buying an additional 41,537 shares during the second quarter.

The firm owned 4,751,479 shares of the company's stock after the purchase and accounted for 0.19% of Merck & Co., Inc.'s outstanding shares.

This is part of a broader trend as institutional investors have been increasing their stakes in Merck & Co., Inc. over the past few quarters.

For example, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the fourth quarter and now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock worth $60,731,000.