DnB Asset Management AS Sells 20,190 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• DnB Asset Management AS has reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by selling 20,190 shares, holding a total of 757,094 shares worth approximately $67.96 million.
• Merck recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, though revenue fell slightly short of estimates at $15.81 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81, with a 3.8% yield, set to be paid on October 7th to shareholders on record as of September 15th.

DnB Asset Management AS trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 757,094 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,190 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $67,957,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $84.41. The company had a trading volume of 3,704,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,140,438. The business's 50 day moving average price is $82.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.93. The stock has a market cap of $210.83 billion, a PE ratio of 13.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $119.38.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 49.92%.

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.