Eldred Rock Partners LLC Sells 5,611 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Eldred Rock Partners LLC has reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9%, now holding 107,863 shares valued at approximately $8.54 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding expectations, while forecasting FY 2025 earnings between $8.870-$8.970 per share.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting a 4.0% yield, with the payment scheduled for October 7th.

Eldred Rock Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,863 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,611 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 2.6% of Eldred Rock Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Eldred Rock Partners LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $398,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Ames National Corp bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $969,000. Finally, CSS LLC IL lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 43.2% during the 4th quarter. CSS LLC IL now owns 16,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,596,000 after buying an additional 4,840 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $81.60. 10,447,826 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,196,624. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $82.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $119.20.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

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.