Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Brookstone Capital Management

Key Points

• Brookstone Capital Management sold 12,786 shares of Merck & Co., Inc., lowering its stake by 16.8% in the second quarter, leaving it with a total of 63,287 shares valued at $5,010,000.
• Analysts have set a **consensus rating of "Hold"** for the stock with an average target price of **$104.33**, following varying ratings and price targets from different financial institutions.
• Merck's stock opened at **$87.25** and has demonstrated a strong performance with a market cap of **$217.92 billion**, despite a quarterly revenue slightly below estimates at **$15.81 billion**.

Brookstone Capital Management lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 63,287 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,786 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $87.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $217.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $106.62.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.