MBB Public Markets I LLC Takes $285,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC has acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. for approximately $285,000, purchasing 3,174 shares of the stock in the 1st quarter of the year.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, although it did fall short slightly on revenue, recording $15.81 billion against an estimate of $15.92 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, which represents an annualized yield of 3.8%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 15.

MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of MRK opened at $85.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm's 50-day moving average is $82.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.91. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $119.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 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, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 research note on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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