Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 46.9% in the second quarter, resulting in ownership of 68,668 shares valued at approximately $5.49 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, beating estimates, but revenue of $15.81 billion fell short of expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share with a 3.8% yield, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 46.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 68,668 shares of the company's stock after selling 60,586 shares during the quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

MRK opened at $85.64 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $213.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $111.58. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $83.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.40.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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