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Ieq Capital LLC Purchases 13,155 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. logo with Medical background

Key Points

  • Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.7%, acquiring an additional 13,155 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total to 208,208 shares, valued at approximately $18.69 million.
  • Merck's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, exceeding estimates, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.8%.
  • Analysts have issued a range of new price targets for Merck, with estimates falling between $84.00 and $98.00, while maintaining an average rating of "Hold."
  • Want stock alerts on Merck & Co., Inc.? Get 5 Weeks of MarketBeat All Access for $5. Get My Stock Alerts.

Ieq Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 208,208 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,155 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $18,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $85.14 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $212.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $81.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.03. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(Free Report)

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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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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