Renasant Bank Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Renasant Bank reduced its Merck stake by 70.4% in the first quarter, selling 8,935 shares and leaving it with 3,751 shares worth about $451,000.
• Merck’s stock was up 1.6% to $128.87, near its 52-week high, while the company maintains a large market cap of about $318.28 billion.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, raised its outlook, and announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend payable July 8, giving the stock a 2.6% yield.

Renasant Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 70.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,751 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,935 shares during the quarter. Renasant Bank's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $451,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,731,000 after buying an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 97,818 shares of the company's stock worth $10,296,000 after acquiring an additional 32,114 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,366 shares of the company's stock worth $10,364,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the last quarter. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $1,866,000. Finally, Norris Perne & French LLP MI increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 252,162 shares of the company's stock worth $26,543,000 after acquiring an additional 28,635 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.6%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $128.87 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.66 and a 52 week high of $130.29. The stock has a market cap of $318.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.30, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The company's 50-day moving average price is $117.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.

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