Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 538,266 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,234 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.9% of Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $42,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 57.1% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
MRK traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $87.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,896,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,274,702. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $106.49. The company's fifty day moving average price is $84.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.54. The company has a market capitalization of $218.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.
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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The company 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, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.33.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
Free Report)
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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