MBL Wealth LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• MBL Wealth LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.7%, selling 3,950 shares in the 1st quarter.
• Merck recently reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.03.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.9%.

MBL Wealth LLC trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 48.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,164 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,950 shares during the quarter. MBL Wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $84.06 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $209.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 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. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $119.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.95.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 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 analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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