Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Baugh & Associates LLC

Key Points

• Baugh & Associates LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% during the second quarter, now holding 64,225 shares worth approximately $4.67 million.
• Merck's shares have recently received mixed ratings from analysts, with Berenberg Bank downgrading its rating to "hold" and lowering the price target from $100 to $90.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, which will be paid on October 7th, providing an annualized yield of 4.0%.

Baugh & Associates LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 64,225 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,328 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 2.4% of Baugh & Associates LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Baugh & Associates LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $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 purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE MRK traded down $0.29 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $80.11. The stock had a trading volume of 6,113,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,997,969. The company has a market capitalization of $200.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $82.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.24. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $116.26.

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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. 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 year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given 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 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

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.