ARGA Investment Management LP Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• ARGA Investment Management LP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 308.8% in Q2, now holding 523,915 shares worth approximately $41.47 million.
• Following recent earnings, Merck reported an EPS of $2.13, beating expectations, but missed revenue estimates with $15.81 billion for the quarter.
• Shares of Merck are currently trading around $87.25, down 0.4%, with a consensus rating of "Hold" among analysts and a target price of $104.33.

ARGA Investment Management LP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 308.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 523,915 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 395,755 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 1.1% of ARGA Investment Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $41,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 252,513,381 shares of the company's stock worth $22,665,601,000 after buying an additional 1,417,274 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 81,669,651 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,330,668,000 after acquiring an additional 927,621 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company's stock worth $4,418,820,000 after buying an additional 29,104,112 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 13,077,716 shares of the company's stock worth $1,130,397,000 after acquiring an additional 3,542,036 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $991,553,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $87.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $217.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $106.62. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $84.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.48.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $104.33.

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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