Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. worth approximately $1,565,000, purchasing 17,440 shares in the 1st quarter.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, though its revenue of $15.81 billion fell short of forecasts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.9% with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 17,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,565,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $398,000. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $345,000. Wahed Invest LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 65,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,486,000 after acquiring an additional 3,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 10,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,028,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1%

MRK stock opened at $84.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $82.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.00. The stock has a market cap of $210.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. 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 dropped 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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