Security National Bank Sells 26,965 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Security National Bank reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 92.9% during the second quarter, resulting in ownership of just 2,060 shares worth $163,000.
• Multiple analysts have downgraded Merck's price target, with Morgan Stanley lowering it from $99.00 to $98.00 and Wells Fargo reducing it from $97.00 to $90.00, while the average consensus is Hold with a price target of $106.41.
• Merck & Co., Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annualized yield of 4.0%, with the payment date set for October 7th.

Security National Bank reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 92.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,060 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,965 shares during the quarter. Security National Bank's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company's stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Saiph Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tilson Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE MRK traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $81.41. 25,594,757 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,025,118. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $118.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $82.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.50.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

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.