Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stake Boosted by Financial Partners Group LLC

Key Points

• Financial Partners Group LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.8% during the second quarter, owning a total of 36,216 shares valued at approximately $2.87 million.
• Merck reported $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $2.03, while total revenue was $15.81 billion, slightly below estimates.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 4.1% and a dividend payout ratio of nearly 50%.

Financial Partners Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 21.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,216 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,472 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.0% of Financial Partners Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Financial Partners Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its stake 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 valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the second quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,587 shares of the company's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $78.51 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $114.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $82.53 and a 200-day moving average of $81.90. 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 market cap of $196.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37.

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 (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 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.41.

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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