Merit Financial Group LLC has acquired a significant new stake in Slide Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLDE), purchasing 550,502 shares valued at approximately $10.7 million during the fourth quarter. This acquisition represents about 0.44% of Slide Insurance, and other institutional investors also initiated positions. Despite insider selling activity, Slide Insurance achieved strong quarterly earnings, beating EPS estimates, and analysts maintain a "Buy" rating with a consensus target price of $24.40.

Merit Financial Group LLC has increased its stake in GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) by 17.4% to 15,080 shares, valued at $9.856 million. Other significant institutional investors like Capital World Investors and Franklin Resources also substantially boosted their positions. Wall Street analysts maintain a "Buy" rating for GEV with a consensus target price of $919.48, despite the company facing a legal dispute with Vineyard Wind over project payments.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in ON Semiconductor Corporation by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 33,479 shares and owning 606,215 shares worth $32.83 million. Despite this decrease, other institutional investors have increased their positions. The article also notes recent insider selling from CFO Trent Thad and insider Sudhir Gopalswamy, but institutional investors and hedge funds still own a significant portion of the company's stock.

Merit Financial Group LLC significantly increased its stake in Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) by 65.4%, acquiring an additional 26,262 shares. This boosted their total holdings to 66,421 shares, valued at approximately $11.37 million. The semiconductor company recently reported strong quarterly earnings, beating analyst estimates, and has a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from Wall Street analysts.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Altria Group (NYSE:MO) by 27.9% in the fourth quarter, now owning 181,205 shares valued at approximately $10.45 million. Concurrently, Altria's SVP Charles N. Whitaker reduced his position by selling 27,908 shares on March 5th. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of about 6.6%, while analysts maintain a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $65.88.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. by 13.2% in the fourth quarter of the prior year, bringing its total holdings to 40,096 shares valued at $9.67 million. Other major institutions like Wellington Management Group and Victory Capital Management also significantly increased their positions, leading to hedge funds and institutional investors owning 74.06% of Lowe's stock. Analysts generally maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating for Lowe's, with an average price target of $289.24, while the stock currently trades around $252 and offers a dividend yield of approximately 1.9%.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin Corporation by 34.2% in Q4, holding 19,776 shares valued at $9.565 million. Lockheed Martin recently secured a $1.9 billion contract for C-130J maintenance and aircrew training and could benefit from proposed increases in U.S. defense spending. Analysts currently have a consensus "Hold" rating on the stock with a target price of $645.79, despite the company missing its Q1 EPS estimate.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. by 34%, purchasing an additional 3,934 shares to bring its total holdings to 15,504 shares, valued at nearly $9 million. This move comes as Thermo Fisher has reported strong earnings, exceeding analyst expectations, and maintains a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating from Wall Street with a target price of $631.25. The company also increased its quarterly dividend.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, bringing its total holdings to 33,207 shares valued at approximately $10.96 million. UnitedHealth Group's Q1 earnings surpassed expectations with an EPS of $2.11 and revenue of $113.73 billion, exceeding analyst forecasts. The company maintains a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating with an average target price of $363.42, despite ongoing regulatory risks affecting its Medicare Advantage segment.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 11.3% in Q4 2025, now holding 43,455 shares valued at approximately $10.05 million. The railroad operator is set to release its Q1 earnings on April 23, with analysts maintaining a "Moderate Buy" rating and an average price target of $267.48. Union Pacific also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.38, yielding about 2.2% annually.