Cantor Fitzgerald Has Positive View of MRK FY2025 Earnings

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald raised its FY2025 earnings per share estimate for Merck & Co., Inc. to $8.92, up from $8.66, while maintaining a “Cautious” rating on the stock.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. However, the revenue of $15.81 billion fell short of the expected $15.92 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding approximately 4.1%, with the payout set for October 7th.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) - Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Merck & Co., Inc. in a report released on Wednesday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C. Gould now expects that the company will post earnings of $8.92 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.66. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has a "Cautious" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.'s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share. Cantor Fitzgerald also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.'s FY2026 earnings at $9.61 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $78.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $196.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $120.30. The company's 50-day moving average price is $80.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.63%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peoples Financial Services CORP. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 22,778 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,803,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company's stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Cora Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Saiph Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.

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