Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC

Key Points

• Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC significantly increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 472.5% during the first quarter, owning 18,521 shares valued at approximately $1.66 million.
• Merck recently reported earnings of $2.13 per share for Q2, exceeding estimates, and set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.8% with a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 472.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,521 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,286 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $84.13. 10,870,371 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,934,819. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The business's 50 day moving average price is $82.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.97.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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 dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

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.