Jump Financial LLC Invests $32.51 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Jump Financial LLC has acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc., purchasing 362,145 shares valued at approximately $32.5 million in the first quarter.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 3.7%, payable on October 7th.
• Merck's most recent earnings report showed EPS of $2.13, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.03, although revenue fell slightly short of expectations at $15.81 billion.

Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 362,145 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,506,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $398,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 83,157 shares of the company's stock worth $8,272,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. Topsail Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 463.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 1,245,425 shares of the company's stock worth $123,895,000 after buying an additional 1,024,371 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded down $1.31 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $82.76. The company had a trading volume of 5,326,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,255,467. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $120.30. The company has a market capitalization of $206.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.04.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.