Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Financial Advisors Network Inc.

Key Points

• Financial Advisors Network Inc. dramatically increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 559.1%, now holding 25,612 shares valued at approximately $2.30 million.
• Merck's stock is currently priced at $84.35, with a market capitalization of $210.69 billion and a dividend yield of 3.8%.
• Recent earnings reported by Merck showed a profit of $2.13 per share, exceeding estimates, despite revenues falling slightly short at $15.81 billion.

Financial Advisors Network Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 559.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,612 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,726 shares during the quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded up $1.1030 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $87.1830. The stock had a trading volume of 11,811,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,391,289. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $81.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.14. 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 company has a market cap of $217.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set 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 target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.