Krilogy Financial LLC Acquires Shares of 16,022 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Krilogy Financial LLC has invested approximately $1.27 million in Merck & Co., Inc. by acquiring 16,022 shares during the second quarter.
• Merck recently reported earnings of $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.03.
• The firm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, which will yield investors an annualized dividend of 4.0%.

Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 16,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,268,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tilson Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $81.41. 25,594,757 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,066,499. The business's 50 day moving average is $82.83 and its 200 day moving average is $82.57. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $118.16. The company has a market capitalization of $203.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.37. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 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. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. 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. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

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.