Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by Howard Capital Management Group LLC

Key Points

• Howard Capital Management Group LLC has increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8% during the second quarter, acquiring an additional 14,126 shares to reach a total of 311,309 shares.
• Merck & Co., Inc. has recently posted earnings of $2.13 EPS, beating estimates of $2.03, while also reporting quarterly revenue of $15.81 billion compared to expectations of $15.92 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, representing an annualized amount of $3.24 with a yield of 4.1%, to be paid on October 7th.

Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 311,309 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,126 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.7% of Howard Capital Management Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Howard Capital Management Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,643,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 252,513,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,665,601,000 after buying an additional 1,417,274 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 81,669,651 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,330,668,000 after buying an additional 927,621 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,418,820,000 after buying an additional 29,104,112 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 13,077,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,130,397,000 after buying an additional 3,542,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $991,553,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:MRK opened at $78.51 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $82.53 and a 200-day moving average of $81.98. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $114.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

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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