Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Position Boosted by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8%, now owning 232,399 shares worth approximately $20.86 million after acquiring more shares in the first quarter.
• Merck reported a net margin of 25.79% and beat analysts' earnings expectations with $2.13 EPS for the quarter, although its revenue of $15.81 billion fell slightly short of projections.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with an ex-dividend date on September 15, representing an annualized dividend yield of 3.9%.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 232,399 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,562 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $84.13 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38.

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. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. On average, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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 target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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