Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Resources Management Corp CT ADV

Key Points

• Resources Management Corp CT ADV increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.1% in Q1, now owning 54,944 shares valued at approximately $4.93 million.
• Several hedge funds significantly modified their holdings in Merck, including Charles Schwab, which raised its stake by 144.6%, now owning shares worth about $4.42 billion.
• Merck's most recent earnings report showed $2.13 earnings per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81.

Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 54,944 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,617 shares during the quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company's stock worth $4,418,820,000 after purchasing an additional 29,104,112 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $991,553,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2,240.9% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,286,801 shares of the company's stock worth $474,543,000 after acquiring an additional 5,060,959 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9,991.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,332,446 shares of the company's stock worth $388,880,000 after acquiring an additional 4,289,516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 21,547,758 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,143,571,000 after acquiring an additional 3,791,737 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $84.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,567,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,077,182. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $82.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.95. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $119.38. The company has a market capitalization of $209.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Citigroup reiterated 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.