GM Advisory Group LLC Reduces Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• GM Advisory Group LLC has drastically reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 66.6%, now owning only 19,710 shares valued at approximately $1.77 million.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings exceeded expectations with an EPS of $2.13, surpassing the analyst consensus by $0.10, although revenue fell slightly short at $15.81 billion.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81, representing an annualized yield of 3.8%, with a payout ratio of nearly 50%.

GM Advisory Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 66.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,710 shares of the company's stock after selling 39,271 shares during the period. GM Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,769,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during 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 during the period. American Assets Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $398,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $95,000. ClearAlpha Technologies LP bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 8,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $834,000 after buying an additional 964 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded up $1.1030 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $87.1830. The company had a trading volume of 11,973,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,141,414. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $81.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $120.30. The company has a market capitalization of $217.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.