Greenleaf Trust Sells 19,620 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Greenleaf Trust reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.3%, selling 19,620 shares, and now holds 77,266 shares valued at approximately $6.12 million.
• Several institutions have recently updated their positions in Merck, with highlights including Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquiring a new stake worth around $25,000.
• Merck & Co., Inc. also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annual yield of 4.1% for investors on record as of September 15th.

Greenleaf Trust decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 20.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,266 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,620 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,116,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first 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 last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

MRK stock opened at $78.46 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $195.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $114.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 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.

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