Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Has $101.76 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Asset Management One Co. Ltd. reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6%, owning 1,285,487 shares worth approximately $101.76 million at the end of the 2nd quarter.
• Analysts are cautious on Merck, with Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo both lowering their price targets, indicating a shift towards "equal weight" and "hold" ratings for the stock.
• Merck reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.13, exceeding estimates, but total revenue fell slightly short of analyst expectations, reflecting mixed performance amid ongoing market challenges.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,285,487 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,134 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $101,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $534,000. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 39,599 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,135,000 after buying an additional 4,970 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 65,524 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,187,000 after buying an additional 2,128 shares during the last quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,410 shares of the company's stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strata Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $231,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of MRK opened at $87.25 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $106.62. The firm has a market cap of $217.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $84.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 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, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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