Crux Wealth Advisors Has $353,000 Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Crux Wealth Advisors reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 56%, now holding 4,464 shares valued at approximately $353,000.
• Merck's quarterly earnings exceeded analysts' expectations, reporting $2.13 EPS with revenues of $15.81 billion, while its stock recently increased by 1.0% to $84.78.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, translating to an annualized yield of 3.8%, with a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Crux Wealth Advisors trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 56.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,464 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,688 shares during the quarter. Crux Wealth Advisors' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 48,267 shares of the company's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,337 shares in the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,026.8% during the first quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 631 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $888,000. Finally, Evanson Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% during the first quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC now owns 3,499 shares of the company's stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $84.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $211.76 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $83.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.35. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $109.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on 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. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on 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, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

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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