Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stake Raised by Focus Partners Wealth

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.3% during the first quarter, holding 1,191,176 shares valued at approximately $106.95 million.
• Merck reported a Q2 earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.03, with a revenue of $15.81 billion, which fell slightly short of the $15.92 billion forecast.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share has been declared, reflecting a 3.8% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,191,176 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 166,570 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $106,950,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Integrity Alliance LLC. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 369.8% in the first quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 25,177 shares of the company's stock worth $2,260,000 after buying an additional 19,818 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $1,519,000. Glenview Trust co grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% in the first quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 371,526 shares of the company's stock worth $33,348,000 after buying an additional 29,536 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.7% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 59,092 shares of the company's stock worth $5,362,000 after buying an additional 8,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 617.0% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,076 shares of the company's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 2,647 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.7%

MRK stock opened at $84.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $119.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.95. The firm has a market cap of $211.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.05, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The company 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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