Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Raised by Northside Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Northside Capital Management LLC significantly increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,390% during Q2, owning a total of 36,804 shares valued at approximately $2.91 million.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share for the latest quarter, surpassing estimates, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.81 to be paid on October 7th.
• Analysts have recently adjusted their price targets for Merck, with Morgan Stanley lowering it from $99 to $98, impacting the stock's overall ratings.

Northside Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1,390.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,804 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,334 shares during the quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,913,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:MRK opened at $79.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $116.26. The stock's 50-day moving average is $82.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.23. The stock has a market cap of $199.54 billion, a PE ratio of 12.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.

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