Kestra Investment Management LLC Acquires 19,752 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 92.5%, owning 41,107 shares valued at $3.69 million at the end of the first quarter.
• Merck's quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, surpassing estimates, while the company projects $9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.8%.

Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 92.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,107 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,752 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth about $36,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $84.06. The company had a trading volume of 11,567,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,077,182. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $82.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.95. 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 firm has a market cap of $209.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $119.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share 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 business 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors 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 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.