Lee Danner & Bass Inc. Trims Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Lee Danner & Bass Inc. reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% during the second quarter, bringing its total shares to 93,492 worth approximately $7.4 million.
• Several institutional investors have adjusted their positions in Merck, resulting in 76.07% of the company's stock being held by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Analysts have issued varied ratings for Merck, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $104.33 amid recent price target decreases from firms like Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

Lee Danner & Bass Inc. lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 93,492 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,778 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Peoples Financial Services CORP. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 22,778 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,803,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp increased 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 worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the second quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,343 shares of the company's stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC increased 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 worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% during the second quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,587 shares of the company's stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $87.52 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $106.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $84.37 and a 200-day moving average of $81.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.49, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

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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