Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Sells 34,822 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owns a stake of $120.51 million in Merck & Co., Inc., having reduced its position by 2.5% to 1,342,615 shares in the most recent quarter.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting a 3.9% yield, with a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.
• Wells Fargo lowered its price target for Merck's shares from $97.00 to $90.00, while the consensus target price among analysts stands at $107.44, indicating mixed evaluations of the stock’s potential.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,342,615 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,822 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $120,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $84.71. 7,951,633 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,166,161. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 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. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $119.38. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $82.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

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.