Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.

Key Points

• Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) by 132.8% in the second quarter, now holding 6,513 shares worth $516,000.
• Merck reported $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates of $2.03, and set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a yield of 4.1%, to be paid on October 7th.

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 132.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,513 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,715 shares during the quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.2%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.51 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $114.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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