Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Holdings Lifted by SteelPeak Wealth LLC

Key Points

• SteelPeak Wealth LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.8% during the second quarter, owning 108,342 shares worth approximately $8.66 million.
• Merck recently reported $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.03, with a total revenue of $15.81 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with an annualized yield of 3.6%, set to be paid on October 7th.

SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,342 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,104 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.7% in the second quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. now owns 3,728 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 853.2% in the second quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,526 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,261 shares in the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the second quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC now owns 13,272 shares of the company's stock worth $1,051,000 after acquiring an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.2% in the second quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 2,817 shares of the company's stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the second quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 42,422 shares of the company's stock worth $3,358,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $88.83 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $221.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $111.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.48.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.31.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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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