Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Ameriflex Group Inc.

Key Points

• Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 104.1%, holding a total of 9,588 shares valued at approximately $861,000.
• Several hedge funds adjusted their positions in Merck during the first quarter, with 76.07% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Merck reported earnings of $2.13 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 scheduled for payment on October 7th.

Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 104.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,588 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 232,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,860,000 after acquiring an additional 10,562 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $8,670,000. Armistice Capital LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $29,086,000. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 9,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the period. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $400,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.6%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $84.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,229,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,219,465. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $82.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

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.