Modern Wealth Management LLC Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 82.0% in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to $1.99 million after acquiring an additional 10,001 shares.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations by $0.10, with revenues of $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, reflecting a 3.9% yield, and a payout ratio of approximately 49.92%.

Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 82.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,201 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,001 shares during the quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA grew its position 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 valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its position 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 valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $1.74 during trading on Monday, hitting $81.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,227,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,124,038. The company has a 50-day moving average of $82.93 and a 200-day moving average of $82.68. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $119.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $202.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 note on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.