GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. Has $15.46 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. has increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5%, owning 172,195 shares worth approximately $15.46 million after acquiring an additional 9,020 shares.
• Other institutional investors have also significantly increased their holdings in Merck, with Charles Schwab Investment Management raising its stake by 144.6% and Pacer Advisors Inc. by 2,240.9% during the first quarter.
• Merck recently reported earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share with a yield of 3.9% due on October 7th.

GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 172,195 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 9,020 shares during the period. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $15,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $528,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 57,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,162,000 after purchasing an additional 12,616 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 104.1% in the first quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 9,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $861,000 after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8% in the first quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 232,399 shares of the company's stock worth $20,860,000 after acquiring an additional 10,562 shares during the period. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $8,670,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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 lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $0.22 during trading on Thursday, hitting $83.96. 12,553,252 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,232,875. The business's fifty day moving average is $82.41 and its 200 day moving average is $83.01. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm 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. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.