Ascent Group LLC Acquires 11,506 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.8%, acquiring an additional 11,506 shares, bringing its total to 54,516 shares valued at approximately $4.89 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, exceeding analysts' expectations, although its revenue of $15.81 billion slightly missed projections of $15.92 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 3.8%, with a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 26.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,516 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,506 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $398,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 9,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares during the last quarter. Humankind Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Humankind Investments LLC now owns 28,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,876,000 after purchasing an additional 5,248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, K2 Principal Fund L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,296,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $84.59 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $120.30. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $82.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.97. The company has a market capitalization of $211.28 billion, a PE ratio of 13.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. 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 results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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. 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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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