Godsey & Gibb Inc. Buys 6,790 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3%, acquiring an additional 6,790 shares, bringing their total holdings to 214,919 shares valued at $17,013,000.
• Merck's stock recently opened at $88.83, with a market capitalization of $221.88 billion and a PE ratio of 13.69.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81, with a dividend yield of 3.6%, to be paid on October 7th, following the record date of September 15th.

Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 214,919 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,790 shares during the quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $88.83 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $221.88 billion, a PE ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's fifty day moving average is $82.96 and its 200 day moving average is $81.48. 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. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $111.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $104.31.

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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