Freedom Investment Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 61.5% during the second quarter, owning a total of 31,755 shares valued at approximately $2.5 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed a profit of $2.13 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, despite revenue falling slightly short of estimates.
• The stock has been rated with a mix of recommendations, including a majority of analysts maintaining a Hold rating, with an average target price set at $104.33.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 61.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,755 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,095 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 57.1% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $87.60 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $84.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.43. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $107.36. The firm has a market cap of $218.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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