Bleakley Financial Group LLC Has $5.52 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Bleakley Financial Group LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during Q2, holding 69,715 shares worth approximately $5.52 million as of the latest filing.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported $2.13 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, although its revenue of $15.81 billion was slightly below estimates.
• Institutional investors now hold 76.07% of Merck's stock, indicating strong institutional support amidst changes in analysts’ price targets, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $104.33.

Bleakley Financial Group LLC cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,715 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,206 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the second quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 76,755 shares of the company's stock worth $6,076,000 after purchasing an additional 2,697 shares during the period. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 25.4% in the second quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. now owns 4,595 shares of the company's stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 61.5% during the 2nd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,514,000 after purchasing an additional 12,095 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 300,648 shares of the company's stock worth $23,781,000 after buying an additional 8,003 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the second quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 33,204 shares of the company's stock worth $2,629,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.4%

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

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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 reduced their price objective on 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. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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