Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 4,781 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0%, selling 4,781 shares, resulting in ownership of 238,993 shares worth approximately $21.35 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13, surpassing analysts' expectations by $0.10, while their revenue for the quarter was $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, effective October 7th, which equates to an annual yield of 3.8% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 238,993 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,781 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $21,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Humankind Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Humankind Investments LLC now owns 31,904 shares of the company's stock worth $2,864,000 after buying an additional 2,995 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 862,359 shares of the company's stock worth $76,948,000 after buying an additional 72,571 shares during the last quarter. Crabel Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $273,000. JT Stratford LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 192.0% in the 1st quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 18,658 shares of the company's stock worth $1,675,000 after buying an additional 12,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 3,880 shares of the company's stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $84.9810 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $81.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $120.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.26 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRK. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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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