Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Boosted by apricus wealth LLC

Key Points

• apricus wealth LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 96.2% in Q2, now owning 58,930 shares valued at $4.65 million.
• Merck's quarterly earnings exceeded estimates, reporting $2.13 EPS against a consensus of $2.03, though revenue fell short at $15.81 billion.
• Current market consensus for Merck's stock rating is "Hold," with a average price target of $104.33 from analysts.

apricus wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 96.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,930 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 28,893 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 2.7% of apricus wealth LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. apricus wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $86.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $84.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.35. The stock has a market cap of $215.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $109.17.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The firm 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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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