Jupiter Wealth Management LLC Sells 3,500 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Jupiter Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.2%, selling 3,500 shares, which now makes up approximately 0.8% of its total holdings valued at $1.24 million.
• The company reported earnings of $2.13 per share for the last quarter, beating analysts' expectations of $2.03, despite revenue falling short of estimates at $15.81 billion.
• Merck announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 3.8%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 15th, and a payout ratio of approximately 49.92%.

Jupiter Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 20.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,500 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 0.8% of Jupiter Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Semus Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.2% during the first quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 19,376 shares of the company's stock worth $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 3,282 shares during the last quarter. Quilter Plc boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 1,180,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,988,000 after purchasing an additional 62,933 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 991.7% during the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 33,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,997,000 after purchasing an additional 30,335 shares during the period. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% in the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 56,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,118,000 after buying an additional 6,850 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $84.71 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $119.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company's fifty day moving average price is $82.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.95.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. 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. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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