Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by GFS Advisors LLC

Key Points

• GFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 60.0%, now owning 131,814 shares valued at approximately $10.43 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, exceeding estimates, but revenue fell short of analyst expectations at $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.8%.

GFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,814 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 49,440 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.4% of GFS Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. GFS Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $10,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE:MRK opened at $86.02 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $83.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.47. 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 market cap of $214.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.25, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $111.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.31.

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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