Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 2,872 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC has reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5%, selling 2,872 shares to hold a total of 78,794 shares valued at approximately $6.24 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Merck, with the stock receiving one Strong Buy, five Buy, thirteen Hold, and one Sell rating, along with an average price target of $104.33.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported earnings of $2.13 per share in its last quarterly results, exceeding estimates and setting a fiscal year 2025 guidance of 8.870-8.970 EPS.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,794 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,872 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position 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 Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co grew its stake in 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 owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $87.60 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $218.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $107.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.43.

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, topping 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 anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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