HBW Advisory Services LLC Acquires 6,583 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• HBW Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.9%, acquiring an additional 6,583 shares to reach a total of 32,973 shares valued at $2,610,000.
• Merck reported a quarterly EPS of $2.13, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.03, while the company's revenue for the quarter was $15.81 billion, slightly below the projected $15.92 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81, representing an annual yield of 3.9% and indicating a payout ratio of approximately 50%.

HBW Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,973 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,583 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $82.87 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.85. The stock has a market cap of $206.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $119.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS 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 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. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

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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