Rockland Trust Co. Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Rockland Trust Co. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) by 11.6%, now owning 550,278 shares worth approximately $43.56 million, making it the company's 10th largest holding.
• Analyst ratings for Merck have been mixed, with recent target price cuts from firms such as Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, while the stock maintains an average rating of "Hold" with a price target of $106.41.
• Merck & Co., Inc. is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share on October 7th, yielding 4.0% annually with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Rockland Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 550,278 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 57,044 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 2.1% of Rockland Trust Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Rockland Trust Co.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $43,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company's stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tilson Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $81.41. The stock had a trading volume of 25,594,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,025,118. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $118.16. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $82.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio 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.