Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by 180 Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.4% during the second quarter, holding a total of 39,599 shares valued at approximately $3.135 million.
• Several brokerages have recently adjusted their target prices for Merck, with Wells Fargo & Company lowering their target from $97.00 to $90.00 while Berenberg Bank downgraded it from a "buy" to a "hold" rating.
• The current average price target for Merck's stock is $104.33, with the stock showing a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05% in its latest quarterly earnings report.

180 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 14.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,599 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,970 shares during the quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the second quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 65,524 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,187,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares during the period. Prentice Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% in the second quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Strata Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $231,000. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 82.3% in the second quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,867 shares of the company's stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 4,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the second quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 76,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,076,000 after acquiring an additional 2,697 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of 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. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

MRK stock opened at $87.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $217.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $106.62. The company's 50-day moving average price is $84.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.48. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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