Magnetar Financial LLC Takes $756,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC has acquired a new stake of 8,424 shares in Merck & Co., Inc., valued at approximately $756,000 during the first quarter.
• Large institutional investors are actively increasing their stakes in Merck, with notable increases from Charles Schwab Investment Management and GAMMA Investing LLC, highlighting a growth trend among major shareholders.
• Merck recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.9% with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 8,424 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $756,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $83.97. 8,192,511 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,204,985. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $120.30. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $82.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. On average, equities research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup restated 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.