Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Has $6.79 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.4% during Q2, holding 85,739 shares valued at approximately $6.79 million.
• Merck's stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price of $106.41, despite recent downgrades from several analysts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 4.1%.

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 39.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 85,739 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,228 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.9% of Hanson & Doremus Investment Management's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.51 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $196.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $114.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $82.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.81. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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. Equities analysts anticipate 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 paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. 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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