Avanza Fonder AB Has $19.36 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Avanza Fonder AB has increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3%, owning 244,553 shares valued at approximately $19.36 million.
• Merck reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.13, beating estimates of $2.03, alongside revenues of $15.81 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, representing an annual yield of 4.0%, with a payout ratio of about 49.92%.

Avanza Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 244,553 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,101 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.6% of Avanza Fonder AB's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $19,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock traded down $0.33 on Tuesday, hitting $80.07. 6,468,021 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,999,834. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $116.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $82.72 and a 200 day moving average of $82.24. The stock has a market cap of $200.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.