Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Fulton Bank N.A.

Key Points

• Fulton Bank N.A. reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2%, ending the second quarter with 65,384 shares valued at $5,176,000.
• Merck reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations of $2.03, but fell short of revenue forecasts with $15.81 billion against a projected $15.92 billion.
• Investors can expect a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 4.0%, and the ex-dividend date is set for September 15th.

Fulton Bank N.A. cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,384 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,618 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,176,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first 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 in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $81.11 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $119.38. The stock has a market cap of $202.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.65. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share 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 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

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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