Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC Makes New Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC has invested approximately $534,000 in Merck & Co., Inc., acquiring 6,750 shares during the second quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have adjusted their positions in Merck, with 76.07% of the stock now owned by institutions.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $104.33 for Merck, with a mix of ratings from strong buy to sell, indicating cautious optimism about the stock's future performance.

Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $534,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 57.1% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $87.54 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $84.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.54. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $106.49. The company has a market capitalization of $218.65 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a PEG ratio of 0.96 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 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 the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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