Burford Brothers Inc. Sells 7,962 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Burford Brothers Inc. cut its Merck stake by 78.7% in the second quarter, selling 7,962 shares and retaining 2,161 shares valued at approximately $278,000. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s stock.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, surpassing estimates, while adjusted EPS of negative $0.13 was better than the expected negative $0.26. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a 2.2% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 15 Buy ratings and eight Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $147.60. Shares recently traded near $152.32, close to their 12-month high of $156.92.

Burford Brothers Inc. decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 78.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,161 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,962 shares during the period. Burford Brothers Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $278,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Round Rock Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock worth $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock worth $1,118,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company's stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $152.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.80 billion, a PE ratio of 121.86, a P/E/G ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $134.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.

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