Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by MGO One Seven LLC

Key Points

• MGO One Seven LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5%, acquiring an additional 3,300 shares, bringing its total holdings to 63,735 shares valued at approximately $5,045,000.
• Merck recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.13, exceeding estimates, while revenue totaled $15.81 billion against a projected $15.92 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, translating to an annualized rate of $3.24 and a dividend yield of 3.8%.

MGO One Seven LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 63,735 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Welch Group LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 33,286 shares of the company's stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares during the last quarter. Presilium Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.3% during the 2nd quarter. Presilium Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,834 shares of the company's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 1,314 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the second quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 53,580 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,000 after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares during the last quarter. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% during the second quarter. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. now owns 59,389 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,702,000 after acquiring an additional 14,568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.0% in the second quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,608 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,392 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $85.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $213.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $111.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on MRK. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of 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. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.00.

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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