8,036 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Bought by Fox Run Management L.L.C.

Key Points

• Fox Run Management L.L.C. has made a new investment of approximately $721,000 in Merck & Co., Inc., acquiring 8,036 shares during the first quarter, according to their recent 13F filing.
• Merck & Co., Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a 3.8% dividend yield, to be paid on October 7th.
• The company's stock has a market capitalization of $210.69 billion and a reported return on equity of 41.05% as of the last quarterly earnings report.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $721,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.7610 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $84.9810. 14,292,318 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,792,842. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.22. The company has a market capitalization of $212.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be 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 is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.