Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.6%, acquiring an additional 244,520 shares in the second quarter, bringing their total to over 2 million shares.
• Analysts have recently downgraded Merck's rating from "buy" to "hold," with a revised price target now ranging from $90.00 to $98.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.6% and a payout ratio of nearly 50%.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 13.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,045,163 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 244,520 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.6% of Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned 0.08% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $161,895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank downgraded 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 report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $89.45 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $112.08. 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 stock has a market cap of $223.41 billion, a PE ratio of 13.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.73.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. 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 for 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

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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