Cardinal Capital Management Grows Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6%, owning 92,737 shares valued at approximately $7.4 million at the end of the second quarter.
• Merck's quarterly earnings beat analysts' expectations, reporting $2.13 EPS versus the $2.03 consensus, despite having revenue slightly below predictions at $15.81 billion.
• A recent dividend announcement revealed a payout of $0.81 per share, boasting a dividend yield of 4.0% with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Cardinal Capital Management increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,737 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,939 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $36,000. Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $48,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRK. Berenberg Bank lowered 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of MRK opened at $80.44 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $82.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.24. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $118.16. The firm has a market cap of $200.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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