Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.4% in the first quarter, now owning 3,740,595 shares valued at approximately $335.76 million.
• Despite Bahl & Gaynor's decrease in shares, other institutional investors increased their stakes, with notable increases from Semus Wealth Partners LLC and Simplicity Wealth LLC.
• Recent analyst reports have downgraded Merck's ratings and price targets, with Citigroup reducing its target to $84.00, down from $115.00, amid a prevailing consensus rating of "Hold."

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 13.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,740,595 shares of the company's stock after selling 579,583 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.7% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $335,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.83 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $84.16. The stock had a trading volume of 10,576,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,314,598. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $81.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.03. The stock has a market cap of $210.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.97, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

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.