Narwhal Capital Management Sells 26,064 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Narwhal Capital Management sold 26,064 shares of Merck & Co., Inc., reducing its ownership by 15.1% to 146,211 shares, representing 0.9% of its investment portfolio.
• Merck's quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $2.13, beating estimates, but its revenue of $15.81 billion fell short of the expected $15.92 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 3.8% with a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Narwhal Capital Management trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 15.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 146,211 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,064 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.9% of Narwhal Capital Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Narwhal Capital Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Little House Capital LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the second quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 25,236 shares of the company's stock worth $1,998,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Semus Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.2% in the first quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,039 shares of the company's stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.4% in the first quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 19,376 shares of the company's stock worth $1,739,000 after acquiring an additional 3,282 shares during the period. Quilter Plc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% in the first quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 1,180,797 shares of the company's stock worth $105,988,000 after acquiring an additional 62,933 shares during the period. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.8% in the second quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 888,415 shares of the company's stock worth $70,327,000 after acquiring an additional 79,529 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $86.39 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $83.15 and a 200 day moving average of $81.56. The stock has a market cap of $215.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 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 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.31.

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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