Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Key Points

• Jones Financial Companies Lllp has significantly reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 70.8%, now holding 177,183 shares valued at approximately $15.86 million.
• Merck's latest earnings report showed earnings per share of $2.13, exceeding estimates, although revenue of $15.81 billion fell short of the forecast.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, representing a dividend yield of 3.8% and a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Jones Financial Companies Lllp lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 70.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 177,183 shares of the company's stock after selling 429,284 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $15,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $84.06. The stock had a trading volume of 11,567,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,077,182. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $119.38. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $82.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.