Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Raised by Plimoth Trust Co. LLC

Key Points

• Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.3% in the second quarter, making it the firm's 23rd largest holding, valued at $4.78 million.
• Merck reported earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding estimates, with a reported revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 3.6%.

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 10.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,339 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,658 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.1% of Plimoth Trust Co. LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.8% in the second quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 176,885 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,002,000 after purchasing an additional 6,486 shares in the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.8% during the second quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 24,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 3,483 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 124,198 shares of the company's stock worth $9,831,000 after acquiring an additional 34,438 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.0% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 6,725 shares of the company's stock worth $532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares during the period. Finally, Gemmer Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Gemmer Asset Management LLC now owns 5,011 shares of the company's stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.3%

MRK stock opened at $89.25 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $222.93 billion, a PE ratio of 13.75, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $111.58. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.52. 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. (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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors 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 of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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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