Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Chiron Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Chiron Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 78.2% during the first quarter, owning 18,239 shares with a total value of approximately $1.64 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Charles Schwab and GAMMA Investing, also significantly increased their holdings in Merck, contributing to a total of 76.07% institutional ownership of the company.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share for its latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share to be paid in October.

Chiron Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 78.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 18,239 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,005 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.5% of Chiron Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Chiron Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MRK traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $83.96. 12,553,252 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,332,990. The business has a 50 day moving average of $82.51 and a 200 day moving average of $83.01. The company has a market capitalization of $209.71 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

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.