Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Has $2.46 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. significantly reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 64% in the second quarter, selling over 55,000 shares and ending with approximately $2.46 million in stock.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, which represents a 4.1% yield and reflects a payout ratio of approximately 49.92%.
• Merck's stock currently stands at $79.62, with a market capitalization of $198.88 billion and an expected EPS of 9.01 for the current fiscal year.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 64.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,106 shares of the company's stock after selling 55,229 shares during the quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $398,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Old North State Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 9,589 shares of the company's stock worth $954,000 after buying an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

MRK stock opened at $79.62 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $198.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $116.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded 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, September 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.