Graham Capital Management L.P. Takes $8.67 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. has acquired a new position in Merck & Co. Inc. by purchasing 96,589 shares, valued at approximately $8.67 million during the first quarter.
• Merck recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, which equates to an annualized yield of 3.9%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 15th.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Merck, with one Strong Buy, six Buy, twelve Hold, and one Sell rating, while the average target price is set at $107.44.

Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 96,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,670,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Citigroup reissued 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. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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 note on Thursday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $1.27 on Wednesday, hitting $84.21. 12,175,891 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,265,783. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $82.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

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.