Nomura Holdings Inc. Has $9.46 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.6%, selling 30,694 shares to hold 105,406 shares, valued at approximately $9.46 million.
• Various hedge funds have recently adjusted their positions in Merck, with 76.07% of the stock currently held by institutional investors.
• Merck has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing a 3.9% yield, set to be paid on October 7th to investors of record as of September 15th.

Nomura Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 22.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 105,406 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,694 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $84.59. 12,965,380 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,207,100. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $120.30. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $82.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.01. The firm has a market cap of $211.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. 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 for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average 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.