Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7%, selling 18,575 shares, and now holds 307,789 shares valued at approximately $24.37 million.
• Merck recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, but with revenue of $15.81 billion slightly below the $15.92 billion consensus estimate.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, equating to an annualized yield of 3.8% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Stephens Inc. AR cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 307,789 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,575 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $84.78 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $83.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.31. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $109.92. 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 company has a market cap of $211.76 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The firm 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 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on 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. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $104.33.

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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