Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by NewEdge Advisors LLC

Key Points

• NewEdge Advisors LLC has decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1%, selling 4,357 shares and bringing its total holdings to 406,366 shares, valued at $36.475 million.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share in its latest quarterly results, exceeding estimates, while revenue for the quarter was $15.81 billion, slightly missing analyst expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a yield of 3.9%, set to be paid on October 7th to shareholders of record on September 15th.

NewEdge Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 406,366 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,357 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $36,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded up $0.62 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $84.71. The company had a trading volume of 8,031,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,166,199. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average of $82.72 and a 200 day moving average of $82.93. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $119.38. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. 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 year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

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.