Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 50%, selling 4,118 shares during the second quarter, leaving them with shares valued at $339,000.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $2.13, exceeding analysts' expectations, although revenue fell slightly short at $15.81 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.8% with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 50.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,118 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,118 shares during the quarter. Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE MRK opened at $84.78 on Friday. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $83.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.38. The company has a market capitalization of $211.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $109.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a 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

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

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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