Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A.

Key Points

• Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% in the first quarter, holding 304,498 shares valued at approximately $27.33 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. recently lowered its earnings guidance for FY 2025, while analysts have downgraded their price targets, with a current average target of $107.44.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding about 3.8%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 15th.

Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 304,498 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,113 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $27,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $398,000. Bosun Asset Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Bosun Asset Management LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,482,000. Finally, EHP Funds Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. EHP Funds Inc. now owns 2,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $84.11. 13,100,908 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,208,586. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.96, 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 released 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 return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.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. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.