44,586 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Acquired by Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC

Key Points

• Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC has invested approximately $4 million in Merck & Co., Inc., acquiring 44,586 shares which represent about 1.9% of its portfolio.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding around 3.8%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 15th.
• Merck's stock has experienced fluctuations, with a 52-week range between $73.31 and $119.38, and a current market cap of $212.59 billion.

Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 44,586 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,002,000. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.9% of Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $398,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 298,752 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,720,000 after purchasing an additional 36,085 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 591,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,799,000 after purchasing an additional 89,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 963.9% in the 4th quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 78,800 shares of the company's stock worth $7,839,000 after buying an additional 71,393 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of MRK traded down $2.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $82.87. 9,931,826 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,124,038. 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 $82.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.75. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $119.38. The stock has a market cap of $206.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 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.