Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC has reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.3% during the second quarter, selling 46,399 shares and retaining a stake worth approximately $8.4 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported earnings per share of $2.13 for the recent quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.03, despite revenue falling slightly below forecasts at $15.81 billion.
• Several analysts have downgraded their price targets for Merck, with Wells Fargo lowering their target from $97.00 to $90.00 and Citigroup initiating coverage with a $95.00 target.

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 106,577 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,399 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.5%

MRK stock opened at $87.61 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $107.36. 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 $218.83 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average of $84.18 and a 200 day moving average of $81.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

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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