Intech Investment Management LLC Has $135.80 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC significantly increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 71.0%, owning approximately $135.80 million in shares as of the end of the first quarter.
• Several hedge funds reported increased investments in Merck, with institutional investors currently owning 76.07% of the company's stock.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 3.8%.

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 71.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,512,900 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 628,327 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.4% of Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $135,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,191,176 shares of the company's stock worth $106,950,000 after acquiring an additional 166,570 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 369.8% during the first quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 25,177 shares of the company's stock worth $2,260,000 after purchasing an additional 19,818 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,519,000. Glenview Trust co increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% in the first quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 371,526 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,348,000 after acquiring an additional 29,536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.7% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 59,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,362,000 after acquiring an additional 8,468 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $84.71 on Wednesday. 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. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $119.38. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $82.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.95. The stock has a market cap of $211.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 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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