Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by 1248 Management LLC

Key Points

• 1248 Management LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.2%, now holding 10,729 shares worth approximately $972,000.
• Merck & Co., Inc. announced a $0.81 quarterly dividend to be paid on October 7th, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.9%.
• The company's latest earnings report indicated an EPS of $2.13, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.03, despite revenue slightly below expectations at $15.81 billion.

1248 Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,729 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,431 shares during the quarter. 1248 Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:MRK traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $84.59. 13,229,817 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,219,465. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $211.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.01.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.92%.

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.