Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Amundi

Key Points

• Amundi increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.1%, owning over 13 million shares valued at approximately $1.13 billion as of the last quarter.
• Merck's stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" from analysts, with a reduced price target ranging from $84.00 to $98.00 by various firms.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting a 3.8% yield, with an ex-dividend date set for September 15th.

Amundi boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 37.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,077,716 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,542,036 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.52% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $1,130,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $85.34 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $82.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37.

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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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