Quadcap Wealth Management LLC Sells 4,262 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Quadcap Wealth Management LLC decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.4% in the first quarter, selling 4,262 shares, leaving it with a total of 20,196 shares valued at approximately $1.81 million.
• Major investors like Vanguard Group Inc. and Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. have increased their holdings significantly, indicating ongoing institutional interest, with over 76.07% of Merck's stock currently owned by institutional investors.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported strong quarterly earnings with $2.13 EPS, surpassing expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.8%.

Quadcap Wealth Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,196 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,262 shares during the quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Semus Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 19,376 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 3,282 shares during the last quarter. Quilter Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% during the first quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 1,180,797 shares of the company's stock worth $105,988,000 after buying an additional 62,933 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 991.7% during the first quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 33,394 shares of the company's stock worth $2,997,000 after buying an additional 30,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 56,566 shares of the company's stock worth $5,118,000 after buying an additional 6,850 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $83.24. The company had a trading volume of 14,481,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,252,589. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $120.30. The firm has a market cap of $207.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $82.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The company 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. On average, research analysts predict 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 declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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 report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.