Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. sold 57,540 shares of Merck & Co., Inc., reducing its stake by 0.4%, while still holding approximately 15.6 million shares valued at over $1.4 billion.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings report indicated an EPS of $2.13, exceeding estimates, but revenue fell short, amounting to $15.81 billion versus expectations of $15.92 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $3.24 and a yield of 3.8%, with a dividend payout ratio of nearly 50%.

Raymond James Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,640,892 shares of the company's stock after selling 57,540 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.5% of Raymond James Financial Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.62% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $1,403,927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. American Assets Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $398,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $85,000. Allred Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 22,791 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,267,000 after buying an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 51,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,089,000 after buying an additional 15,354 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $0.7610 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $84.9810. 14,292,318 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,792,842. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $81.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.21. The company has a market cap of $212.26 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm 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. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, 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. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.