Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stake Decreased by Beacon Financial Advisory LLC

Key Points

• Beacon Financial Advisory LLC reduced its Merck stake by 66% in the first quarter, selling 12,891 shares and leaving it with 6,631 shares worth about $798,000.
• Analysts are mixed on Merck, with recent actions including a downgrade to hold and several price target increases; the stock’s consensus rating is still Moderate Buy with an average target of $131.83.
• Merck reported better-than-expected Q1 results, including EPS of ($1.28) versus the expected ($1.47) and revenue of $16.29 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share.

Beacon Financial Advisory LLC cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 66.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,631 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,891 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $129.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $130.29. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $117.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.

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