Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Purchased by Stockman Wealth Management Inc.

Key Points

• Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.8%, owning 168,864 shares valued at approximately $13.37 million.
• As of the latest disclosures, 76.07% of Merck's shares are owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, surpassing expectations, while they have set a FY 2025 guidance of 8.870-8.970 EPS.

Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 168,864 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,799 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 1.8% of Stockman Wealth Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Stockman Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Partners Group LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.8% in the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 36,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,867,000 after purchasing an additional 6,472 shares in the last quarter. Barry Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 49.9% in the second quarter. Barry Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,501,000 after acquiring an additional 6,249 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.7% in the second quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,437 shares of the company's stock valued at $905,000 after acquiring an additional 3,694 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the second quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 38,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,057,000 after acquiring an additional 1,986 shares during the period. Finally, Hengehold Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the second quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 43,656 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,456,000 after acquiring an additional 1,313 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on 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 downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.51 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $114.79. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.90. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities 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 will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 presently 49.92%.

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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