Kera Capital Partners Inc. Buys 4,420 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.7%, owning 8,272 shares worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 4,420 shares in the 2nd quarter.
• Merck reported a quarterly EPS of $2.13, beating analysts' expectations by $0.10, though revenue fell slightly short at $15.81 billion compared to estimates of $15.92 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, with a yield of 3.9%, highlighting a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Kera Capital Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 114.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,272 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,420 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 note on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $1.74 on Monday, reaching $81.07. The stock had a trading volume of 10,227,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,124,038. The company has a market capitalization of $202.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $119.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $82.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.68.

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. 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 the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid 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 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s 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.