Global Financial Private Client LLC Acquires 3,509 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Global Financial Private Client LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter, holding 34,002 shares worth approximately $2.69 million.
• Merck received several downgrades from analysts, with Berenberg Bank lowering its price target from $100 to $90, while the current consensus target price stands at $106.41.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, equating to an annualized yield of 4.0% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Global Financial Private Client LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,002 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,509 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.0% of Global Financial Private Client LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Global Financial Private Client LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 252,513,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,665,601,000 after buying an additional 1,417,274 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 81,669,651 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,330,668,000 after purchasing an additional 927,621 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company's stock worth $4,418,820,000 after acquiring an additional 29,104,112 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 13,077,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,130,397,000 after purchasing an additional 3,542,036 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $991,553,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $0.12 on Friday, hitting $81.41. 25,594,757 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,025,118. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The business's fifty day moving average is $82.79 and its 200 day moving average is $82.42. The company has a market capitalization of $203.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $118.16.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.41.

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.