Teza Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Teza Capital Management LLC purchased 16,034 shares of Merck & Co., Inc., valued at approximately $1.4 million, making it the institution's 20th largest holding.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding estimates and setting FY 2025 guidance at $8.870-8.970 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing a 3.8% yield with a payout ratio of approximately 49.92%.

Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 16,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,439,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.7% of Teza Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $84.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,567,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,155,813. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $119.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $82.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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 forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.