ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Has $12.92 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter, owning 163,239 shares valued at approximately $12.9 million.
• Merck's shares have seen several target price revisions by analysts, with Wells Fargo decreasing its target price from $97.00 to $90.00 and a consensus average target price currently at $106.41.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, representing a 4.0% yield, with an ex-dividend date set for September 15th.

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 163,239 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,151 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.5% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,922,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the second 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 last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Tilson Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. 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 on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

MRK stock traded down $0.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $81.41. 25,594,757 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,025,118. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $118.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $82.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.42. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 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. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders 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 yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.