Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Orion Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Orion Capital Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.3%, now holding 10,989 shares valued at approximately $986,000.
• Multiple institutional investors have raised their holdings in Merck, with the most notable being Charles Schwab Investment Management, which grew its stake by 144.6%.
• Merck's recent earnings exceeded expectations with $2.13 earnings per share, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a yield of 3.7%.

Orion Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 94.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,989 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,334 shares during the period. Orion Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $986,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MRK stock traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $84.13. The company had a trading volume of 10,869,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,285,894. The company's fifty day moving average is $82.04 and its 200 day moving average is $83.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38.

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, 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 analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. 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 cut 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, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.