DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Boosts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale has increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7%, owning 5.4 million shares valued at approximately $430 million.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.03, along with revenues of $15.81 billion.
• Merck's latest quarterly dividend was announced at $0.81 per share, totaling an annualized dividend yield of 3.8%.

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,427,912 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 37,306 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.8% of DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned approximately 0.22% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $430,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $84.78 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $83.91 and a 200-day moving average of $81.31. The firm has a market cap of $211.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of 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 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

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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