Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC Invests $330,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC invested approximately $330,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter, acquiring 3,676 shares of the company.
• Merck reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 EPS, surpassing analysts' estimates, alongside a revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.8%, set to be paid on October 7th.

Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $84.6730 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.23. The firm has a market cap of $211.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. 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. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend 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 recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of 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. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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 given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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