OLD Republic International Corp Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• OLD Republic International Corp increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.0%, owning 705,600 shares worth approximately $55.86 million after acquiring 92,000 additional shares.
• Merck recently reported earnings per share of $2.13 for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, but had revenue slightly below forecasts at $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, which results in an annualized yield of 4.0% and has a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

OLD Republic International Corp grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 15.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 705,600 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 92,000 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 2.2% of OLD Republic International Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. OLD Republic International Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $55,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $81.07 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $202.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.68. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $119.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on 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, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.

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