Acadian Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 357.8%, owning approximately 2.6 million shares valued at $232.87 million.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, exceeding expectations, but with revenue slightly below analyst estimates at $15.81 billion.
• The company declared a $0.81 quarterly dividend, representing an annual yield of 3.8%, payable on October 7th to shareholders recorded by September 15th.

Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 357.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,594,693 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,027,957 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned about 0.10% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $232,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $84.71 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $82.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $119.38. The firm has a market cap of $211.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued 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 is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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