Cairn Investment Group Inc. Raises Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Cairn Investment Group Inc. dramatically increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,459.6% in the second quarter, acquiring a total of 54,585 shares.
• Merck recently reported earnings of $2.13 per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations, and set its FY 2025 guidance between $8.870 to $8.970 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing a 4.1% yield, to be paid on October 7th.

Cairn Investment Group Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1,459.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 54,585 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 51,085 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 2.3% of Cairn Investment Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Cairn Investment Group Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the first 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 last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $114.79. The firm's 50-day moving average is $82.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.81. The stock has a market cap of $196.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

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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