LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Sells 5,008 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• LaFleur & Godfrey LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9%, selling 5,008 shares and maintaining 96,974 shares valued at approximately $7.68 million.
• Merck's average rating is currently "Hold" with a target price ranging from $90.00 to $106.41, following recent adjustments by major investment firms.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, translating to an annual yield of 4.0%, with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,974 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,008 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. American Assets Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $398,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $6,183,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,378 shares of the company's stock worth $1,132,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 2,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $1.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $80.44. 11,982,202 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,707,637. The business's 50 day moving average is $82.72 and its 200 day moving average is $82.24. 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 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $118.16. The company has a market capitalization of $200.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid 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 yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

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.