Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Trimmed by Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 40.1% during the first quarter, now holding 60,170 shares worth approximately $5.46 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report revealed a $2.13 EPS, exceeding expectations, along with a revenue of $15.81 billion, which fell short of analyst forecasts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share with a dividend yield of 3.9%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 40.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,170 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,210 shares during the period. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 321,772 shares of the company's stock worth $28,882,000 after purchasing an additional 23,020 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 83,761 shares of the company's stock worth $7,518,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 35,973 shares of the company's stock worth $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% during the first quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 304,498 shares of the company's stock worth $27,332,000 after purchasing an additional 4,113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Curi RMB Capital LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 54.1% during the first quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 326,801 shares of the company's stock worth $29,540,000 after purchasing an additional 114,757 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.54 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $84.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,768,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,112,802. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $209.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $119.38. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $82.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.95.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 research report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

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.